2024–25 apple harvest exceeds expectations, says Apples and Pears NZ CEO
The 2024-25 season apple harvest has “well and truly exceeded expectations”, says Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Karen Morrish.
Brydon Nisbet, the president of Hawke's Bay Fruit Growers Federation, says the mood of growers in Hawke's Bay is quite upbeat because it's been a good season for apples.
He says it's been one of the best springs for many years and there was good rain around Christmas.
"All the crops are looking great, the colour is fantastic, size is good and that brings optimism for the growers - that's the part that's right," he says.
The second part of the equation is out of the hands of growers, he says.
Nisbet says the big issue is the returns that growers will get for their apples.
He says on top of the cost of dealing with the recovery, growers are facing the high cost of wages, compliance costs and rising on-orchard costs.
"So, the export prices need to be good. We have the dollar in our favour but we need to sell our crops for a really good price when the margins are in our favour, so we can not only pay for what we have done this season but also make a decent profit - and that is the hard part," he says.
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.

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