Kiwifruit Growers Largely Escape Cyclone Vaianu Damage
The country's kiwifruit growers seem to have escaped much of the predicted wrath of Cyclone Vaianu which hit the east coast of the North Island this month.
Reports of severe weather forecast to move over the vast majority of New Zealand’s kiwifruit orchards this weekend will be very concerning for a significant number of growers.
That’s the message from the CEO of the Kiwifruit Growers Association Colin Bond.
He says while it is still too early to fully understand how significant the event will be, there is a lot of fruit hanging exposed to the elements.
He says the picking of Gold not yet halfway through and Green is only beginning.
Colin Bond says growers will need to ensure they have plans in place to reduce the impact where possible.
This threat of damage to the nations kiwifruit crop from cyclone Vaianu comes just weeks after Zespri was predicting another large crop of 220 million trays to sell and that grower returns are likely to be up this season.
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The new dairy season is kicking off with plenty of risks to the forecast farmgate price, both upside and downside, says ANZ agricultural economist Matt Dilly.
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