A cold spring in Hawke's Bay and Nelson will result in a smaller export crop of apples and pears this season.Pipfruit New Zealand predicts the crop to be down about 15 percent to be in a range from 261,000 to 266,000 tonnes compared with last year's final
A cold spring in Hawke's Bay and Nelson will result in a smaller export crop of apples and pears this season.
Pipfruit New Zealand predicts the crop to be down about 15 percent to be in a range from 261,000 to 266,000 tonnes compared with last year's final export volume of 308,000 tonnes.
"This spring and summer have delivered challenging growing conditions in both Hawke's Bay and Nelson, our major producer regions," chief executive Peter Beaven said from Hastings.
"We had a very early start to flowering following a warm August, but the spring conditions during October and November were characterised by cold weather, rain and some hail. Luckily much of the hail came before growers had thinned their crops, so many were able to remove much of the damaged fruit."
However, the net result is a smaller and later crop, with royal gala harvest expected to start for most growers in Hawke's Bay during the third week in February, a week later than normal.
Despite the difficult growing conditions, the pipfruit industry expects good demand in all world markets.
"New Zealand's reputation as a reliable supplier of high quality, well coloured, safe apples and pears enables us to command premium prices in all markets," Mr Beaven said.
Exporters were already receiving good levels of inquiry from Asia, Europe and North America, he said.
The variety mix of the NZ crop continues to move away from royal gala and braeburn. For the first time in 18, these two mainstays of the NZ industry combined made up less than 60 percent of the expected volume and constituted less than 50 percent of all plantings.
Braeburn, the variety most affected by the growing conditions, was expected to drop from last year's 97,000 tonnes (5.4 million cartons) to between 68,000 and 72,000 tonnes (3.6-4 million cartons), a drop of 30 percent. Royal gala was back 15 percent from 108,000 tonnes (6 million cartons) to 92,000 tonnes (5.1 million cartons).
Newer varieties showing growth were jazz, up to 25,000 tonnes (1.4 million cartons) and pink lady, up to 10,000 tonnes (560,000 cartons).
New Zealand supplies its apples and pears to more than 60 countries each year, with the European Union and Asia/Middle East being the largest customers.
The largest percentage of this year's export volume will come from Hawke's Bay, which will supply 60 percent of the crop, while Nelson production will export 31 percent.
