Despite significant year-on-year reductions in several key markets, New Zealand’s top-fruit industry enjoyed one of its most successful export campaigns on record in 2015.
Figures released in Pipfruit New Zealand’s 2015 Statistics Annual indicate international shipments hit 334,465 tonnes last year, the largest volume for the sector over the past seven seasons. The performance came as exports to North America fell 24 per cent from 52,130t in 2014 to 39,671t in 2015, while shipments to continental Europe fell 17 per cent from 96,162t to 80,074t.
“The US market was 25 per cent less than the previous year due to a combination of a carryover of their domestic fruit, lower exchange rate and a smaller New Zealand fruit size being more suited to the Asian market,” says Catherine Scott, Pipfuit New Zealand’s operations co-ordinator.
The UK continues to be the New Zealand industry’s largest country market by volume, with 48,070t – or 14 per cent of the total export crop – shipped there last season. The performance betters the 42,344t shipped to the UK in 2014, however, it was short of the seven-year high of 51,651t exported in 2009. Shipments to Ireland fell marginally from 2,066t in 2014 to 1,703t last year.
The New Zealand industry continues to strengthen its focus on markets within Asia, with the Far East absorbing over 40 per cent of the export crop, well ahead of Europe (24 per cent), the UK and Ireland (15 per cent) and the Americas (12 per cent).
Scott indicated the growing interest in servicing Asian markets is influencing the development of New Zealand’s varietal portfolio, as growers move towards sweet-flavoured, high-coloured offerings.
Royal Gala again trumped the list of exports by variety, accounting for over a third of all New Zealand top-fruit shipments (115,858t) last year. Fuji exports rose from 26,115t in 2014 to 31,981t in 2015, while shipments of Braeburn – a variety that has traditionally underpinned UK export programmes – slipped from 66,886t to 60,196t. Over 107,000t of New Zealand-grown Braeburn was exported in 2007.
Patrick Meikle, commercial manager of apple grower-exporter Golden Bay, says a range of new top-fruit varieties are being developed in New Zealand with a global market in mind. “Golden Bay has been planting significant volumes of apples over the past few seasons, which will generate a volume increase by circa 50 per cent over the next three to four seasons,” he says. “We also have research orchards where we have developed a couple of exciting new varieties that are yet to be named. The new varieties have had good customer feedback from UK/Europe, Asia and the US, and volumes are expected to rise substantially over the next few years.”
