Posts Tagged “New Zealand apple exports”
A 12 percent increase in volume for New Zealand Apples and Pears (NZAPI) is forecast this year over the 2022, a rebound from 2023, which suffered significant damage due to Cyclone Gabrielle.
The publication Fuitnet estimates exports will total 21.2 million boxes (18 kg tray equivalent), 382,000 tons. Excellent size, color, eating, and flavor are expected.
Fuitnet also is projecting a higher dry matter content, allowing for better storage of the fruit.
New Zealand apple exports will be off about 14 percent from a year ago despite earlier expectations of a near-record season, according to a
USDA forecast.
“…a number of factors have tempered expectations,” the report noted, with production now estimated to have slumped 8 percent from the previous year to 543,000 metric tons (MT).
Two of these factors have been hailstorms causing widespread damage in key apple areas, as well as generally smaller-sized apples this year due to a cooler summer.
In addition to reduced production, the impact on exports is being exacerbated by severe staffing shortages during the harvest. New Zealand’s Covid-19 response included limiting slots available for short-term foreign workers in mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival, and international border closures.
Because of these shortages, orchardists were not able to do the number of harvest picks in each orchard block necessary to maximize the proportion of export quality fruit. Consequently, while all the apples are still expected to eventually be harvested there will be a greater volume destined for processing.
This is expected to reduce exports by 14 percent from 2020, down to 345,000MT in 2021, the USDA report said.
The volume of apples being processed in 2020/2021 is estimated to increase by seven percent to reach 125,000MT