Zespri global sales top $5 billion for 2024–25 season amid strong demand
Zespri says global sales for the 2024-25 season topped $5 billion on the back of strong demand and market returns.
NZKGI chief executive Colin Bond has paid tribute to the contribution that departing Zespri CEO Dan Mathieson has made to the kiwifruit industry.
Mathieson recently announced that he's taking up a new position as president of Driscoll's - a huge California-based company that produces a range of berries. In 2017, it controlled roughly one third of the $6 billion berry market in the USA.
Driscoll's is a fourth-generation family business set up in the late 1980s by the Reiter and Driscoll families. The company also has a subsidiary called the Fresh Berry Company based in Hawke's Bay which was set up in 2016.
Mathieson has been at Zespri for 21 years, almost seven of those as CEO. He will remain at Zespri to oversee the 2024 harvest and start of the sales season and until a new CEO is appointed.
Bond says Mathieson has led the industry through a strong growth period as well as the last two challenging years.
"He's always had growers' best interests in mind and has worked very hard for the industry and can take a lot of credit for the strong position it is in now as one of the best global fruit brands in the world."
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
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