Tuesday, 05 July 2022 11:25

The future for apples

Written by  Peter Burke
While China remains the largest market for NZ apples, other markets, like Vietnam, are steadily rising. While China remains the largest market for NZ apples, other markets, like Vietnam, are steadily rising.

China remains the largest market for NZ apples - taking 17% of the crop.

However, others are steadily rising, including Vietnam which takes 11% of the crop - just ahead of Taiwan.

While China remains an important market for NZ apples, Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Terry Meikle says growers are looking around the world and seeing what is happening and making sure they spread their risk.

"In recent times, Vietnam is proving pretty lucrative and there is a certainly a lot of potential growth," he told Hort News. "There is a young demographic in a lot of these Asian countries and we would like to see growth in Japan and see Korea opened up. No one in the world has access to Korea and we'd like to see that prioritised."

Meikle says India is another market they would also ike to see opened up. He says while Australia has better access to that market, it still hasn't managed to get a reduction on the tariffs on apples.

Climate change is also an issue which Apples and Pears, as an organisation, is taking very seriously Meikle adds. He says it has recently employed a new member of the team as Global Sustainability Advisor. That person's job is to look at all the alternative mitigations and what the potential opportunities are as well.

Meikle says one issue that some growers are turning to is covering their crops to prevent things like hail and rain damage. Cherries, kiwifruit and blueberry are just of the fruits that are being covered.

Meikle says covering a crop does lengthen the season and changes the dynamics of pest and disease control.

"This is an area that we are going to have to do more research and developent in and we are."

Meikle talks about a wide range of smart sustainable projects and work streams being undertaken including a spray-free vision by 2050. He adds that the day before Apple and Pears annual conference, at the end of August, it and Callaghan Innovation are hosting a connector event for innovators, researchers and growers within the apple and horticulture sector. Meikle says the aim of 'Agritech in the Orchard' is to build a deeper understanding of industry problems and the available solutions, as well as closing the gap between the industry and agritech.

"The key issue is economies of scale and to make the new technologies economically viable for the smaller growers as soon as we can," he adds. "The big guys are already investing in automation in their packhouses and orchards and if we can attract investors and develop partnerships and make technology available to all growers that would be a great achievement."

More like this

No easy ride for struggling sheep farmers

Stubbornly high farm input costs, a slow Chinese recovery and a flood of Australian lamb onto the global market are the main factors contributing to the tough times being faced by NZ's sheep farmers.

FTA good for Aussies and for us – Groser

ANYTHING GOOD for Australia is in the long run good for New Zealand. That’s the reaction of Trade Minister Tim Groser to the news that Australia has signed a free trade agreement with China, and to speculation that their FTA with China is better than NZ’s, especially regarding dairy products.

More pain yet!

China's slower than expected recovery from Covid-19 and an oversupply of Australian sheep meat is causing problems for NZ sheep farmers.

Featured

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

Editorial: Passage to India

OPINION: Even before the National-led coalition came into power, India was very much at the fore of its trade agenda.

National

Bumper cherry exports in 2024

New Zealand cherry producer Southern Fruits International expects to send up to 340 tonnes of luxury cherries to the global…

Machinery & Products

Pollution into fertiliser

While the new government is sure to “tinker” with the previous administration’s emissions policy, a recent visit to New Zealand…

Smart money backs smart machine

Marlborough-based start-up SmartMachine claims its new machine is one of the most significant operational step changes for viticulture since the…

Robo packer hits a billion

New Zealand inventor and manufacturer Robotics Plus Limited’s fruit packing robot has hit a major milestone of one billion pieces…

Crop care business expands

Five years ago, agricultural machinery specialist Lemken acquired the Dutch company Steketee B.V and expanded its crop care product portfolio…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter