increase font size
Some growers have planted vegetable crops like squash to improve the fertility of the soil, with a view to planting new apple trees in the future.
NZ Apples and Pears market manager Danielle Adsett says Hawke’s Bay lost 610 hectares of apple trees out of a total of 6500 hectares.
She told Hort News that this is a huge loss of production and it will take a few years to get back to pre-Gabrielle days. But she adds that the 610ha figure may be an under representation of what has actually happened.
This figure is based on blocks totally destroyed, and Adsett says this doesn’t take account of blocks that were partially destroyed. She explains that some trees in such blocks may be pulled out or it’s possible that in the end orchardists may decide to pull out all the apple trees and start again.
According to Adsett, not all the 610 hectares of land on which apple trees were planted then wiped out by Cyclone Gabrielle will be lost forever.
She says there are some areas such as Esk Valley where it’s unlikely trees will be planted again, but other badly damaged orchards will likely be re-planted as the soil is still fertile.
Driving around the region there are signs of orchardists trying to get their damaged land back into operation. Some, for example, have planted vegetable crops to improve the fertility of the soil, with a view to planting new apple trees in the future.
But behind some of the shelter belts, the devastation of a year ago is still evident, with uninhabitable houses, piles of wood and other debris being cleaned up by diggers.
There are also signs of some apple trees trying their best to produce a crop but not really succeeding, and they look stressed so may need replacing.
“There have been a lot of new plantings in Hawke’s Bay and while some of these were lost in the cyclone, there is the hope that new plantings will come on stream in the future, but this will require considerable investment,” she says.
Adsett says Cyclone Gabrielle cost the region in the order of $200 million in terms of lost income and says it’s too early to say how much the 2024 crop will redress that figure.
On the positive side, a packhouse destroyed by the cyclone has been rebuilt and will be open for business for this season.
As far as growers are concerned, Adsett believes there is an air of optimism, due to the better-than-expected crop of apples that is now on the trees. She says that growers are positive about the markets that are buying New Zealand apples, including those new apple varieties which are proving very popular with consumers.
If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The road between Napier and Wairoa is on the mend.
The Good Carbon Farm has partnered with Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust to deliver its first project in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
A large Māori-owned kiwifruit business that was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle has bounced back with a vengeance.
According to ASB, Fonterra's plan to sell it's Anchor and Mainlands brands could inject $4.5 billion in additional spending into the economy.
New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.
The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.
OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…
