Kiwifruit Growers Wait Nervously As Storm Approaches
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 view of NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc chief executive, Colin Bond.
He says at an industry level it is still looking like a very strong year.
Bond says it is expected that more than 200 million trays of kiwifruit will be produced.
But Bond says the storms have been a disaster for a small number of kiwifruit orchardists.
"We know of a couple of orchards that have been badly hit by landslides around Welcome Bay in the Bay of Plenty. One has lost their full crop, another their house and in another case they can't get onto their property to assess the damage because of a landslip," he says.
Bond says there are some orchards which are waterlogged due to the rain and the growers are waiting for the water to dissipate to reveal the extent of the damage and the future of the vines.
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He says this problem exists in orchards from Northland, the Bay of Plenty and down to Tairawhiti on the east coast of the North Island.
But he says, remarkably, there is no widespread damage like there was with Cyclone Gabrielle.
Bond says they are still awaiting a report from Zespri on what returns to growers might be.
He says on the face of it, the quality of the crop looks like it will be excellent.
Roading Issues
According to Bond, roading remains a huge issue - especially in the case of Gisborne where SH2 through the Waioweka Gorge from Gisborne to Opotiki remains closed due to slips.
Much of the kiwifruit produced around Gisborne is sent by road to a packhouse in Opotiki and Bond says unless SH2 is open in time for the main picking of the crop, it will cause serious issues for local growers.
He says the alternative route to Opotiki is south to Napier, across the Napier-Taupo Road and then to Opotiki, which adds an additional 211km to the journey.
"There is limited capacity to pack kiwifruit in Gisborne, and it could certainly not handle all the fruit that is produced there," he says.
However, Bond says the overall mood of the kiwifruit industry is extremely positive.
He says they acknowledged that some growers are going through tough times at present but notes that there is a strong appetite for kiwifruit worldwide.
He says everything points to the industry continuing to have a period of sustained success which helps make up for the challenging couple of years around Covid.
