Returns for green New Zealand kiwifruit are expected to increase slightly on last year, international marketer Zespri has said.
Zespri International also said that returns for its Gold fruit will hold steady on 2009 levels while green organic fruit “is expected to have another challenging year”.
The Zespri board of directors also stated that it expects to pay a per-tray loyalty payment of NZ$0.25 (12p) for the
2010-11 season, compared to NZ$0.15 in 2009-10 and NZ$0.165 in 2008-09.
These figures are just early indications of returns and the full forecast is not due for another three months. However, according to Zespri ceo Lain Jager, early season sales have given the single-desk operator confidence that markets will respond positively this year to New Zealand kiwifruit.
He said: “What we’ve seen is lower crop loadings resulting from poor fruit set not translating into the large profile we would normally expect to see, because of very dry weather across much of the country. This has translated into very high dry matters and excellent sugar levels in the 2010 crop. Together with strong early season delivery, we are well positioned for the season and expecting a modest recovery in local market returns, following a very challenging season last year. We have clear plans in place for each category and these are set out in our three-year
category outlook documents - to be published again in November. For now the focus is on working closely with our customers to achieve the best result possible for growers.”
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