Hazel Technologies has announced a new partnership with New Zealand’s largest rural supplies co-operative, Farmlands, to distribute its HazelTrex pre-harvest technology to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry.
The partnership will also include cooperation from leading packer Seeka, leading harvester, packer and cold storage operator Apata, and Zespri, which helped launch Hazel Trex in June.
As part of the partnership, growers supplying fruit to Seeka and Apata will deploy the Hazel Trex technology into their pre-harvest management process ahead of the 2020-2021 harvest, while Farmlands will be the sole distributor of HazelTrex to all of Zespri’s New Zealand kiwifruit growers.
Dwayne Farrington, technical manager of Farmlands, said this represented a big step forward for the industry.
“Hazel Trex technology will affecta true paradigm shift in kiwifruit orchard management, as it employs the latest genetic sequencing technology to ensure accurate forecasting,” said Farrington.
“Given the depth of our co-operative’s technical kiwifruit expertise we are well placed to distribute this technology to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry in 2020 and beyond.”
Aidan Mouat, chief executive of Hazel Technologies, said joining forces with the key players in the industry was crucial to the company’s growth.
“Hazel Tech is committed to expanding our current industry-leading technology portfolio across the global supply chain,” Mouat said.
“Partnering with some of the most respected New Zealand kiwifruit brands like Farmlands, Seeka, Apata, and Zespri has been a major progress point for our geographical and product portfolio expansion.”
