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.
Wait and see is the watchword on the possibility of a labour shortage in the kiwifruit harvest which began last week in Gisborne and western Bay of Plenty.
The labour situation is not clear yet, says New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) chief executive Nikki Johnson.
NZKGI has sought to mitigate the risk by outreach and promotion to potential labour sources over the first quarter of 2019.
“We’ve gone all-out to tell our potential workers about the roles, pay and other important information, and to dispel some of the myths about the work,” Johnson told Rural News.
“We’ll soon know if it’s had an impact, when the major picking starts and we’ll be doing contingency planning if we have an issue in a month’s time.”
A total of 18,000 seasonal workers will be needed NZ-wide to pick and pack the 2019 crop.
Last year a labour shortage was declared in Bay of Plenty by the Ministry of Social Development which allowed overseas visitors to apply to vary the conditions of their visitor visas to allow six weeks of seasonal work in kiwifruit.
Gisborne last week saw the start of picking an estimated industry-wide 150 million trays this season.
Western Bay of Plenty followed a couple of days later with picking starting in the Te Puke and Whakamarama regions.
Johnson says Bay of Plenty has at least 80% of NZ’s total producing hectares of kiwifruit which indirectly contribute $1.8 billion to the local economy.
The first run of kiwifruit is mostly the gold variety, with the green variety harvest full on in late March and the peak of picking lasting until June.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…