Westpac NZ Becomes First Bank to Accept Zespri Shares as Lending Security
Westpac NZ has become the first New Zealand bank to receive approval from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) to secure and leverage kiwifruit growers' Zespri shares.
Overseas demand is high for the new Psa-free variety and prices continue to rise.
As a result, Zespri chairman Peter McBride is forecasting a net profit after tax of $96 million to $101m for the year ended March 31, 2018. Profit last year was $73.7m.
This upsurge in demand and price is reflected in Zespri’s updated market forecast for October, which again shows prices for all classes of kiwifruit are up on the August forecast. SunGold is fetching $9.73/tray versus $9.28 in August, while Green14 is $5.39/tray vs $5.25 in August. Other classes of kiwifruit are also up in value.
Zespri publishes two-monthly ‘indicative’ price updates (these do not reflect prices payable to individual growers).
