Zespri, Has Lifted Its 2023-2024 Season Orchard Gate Returns Guidance For Most Varieties From A Gloomy Outlook Last Month

Zespri, has lifted its 2023-2024 season orchard gate returns guidance for most varieties from a gloomy outlook last month. So good news for kiwi fruit growers at last. Zespri says Kiwifruit growers have had a highly challenging past two seasons due to these impacts, exacerbated by a labour shortage. And Chairman Bruce Cameron says that while inflation and uncertainty on orchard yields due to extreme weather events are still red flags the improved pricing is due to a reduced crop, expected improvement in fruit quality and Zespri’s investment in building market demand. Kiwifruit is New Zealand’s biggest horticulture export and the latest guidance has the per tray return for Zespri green lifting from $5.55 in February to $6.50-$8.50… which is $52,000-$68,000 per hectare compared to $55,395 in February. For Zespri SunGold, the latest per tray guidance is $10.50-$12.50 and per hectare $124,000-$148,000 compared with $134,962 in February.