Early apple harvest begins in New Zealand

New Zealand Apples & Pears Inc., promoter and representative of the NZ pipfruit industry, announced harvesting of New Zealand apples has already begun, around a week earlier than last season, with volumes expected to increase towards the end of the month in March.

According to Release of New Zealand Apples & Pears, the estimate of gross production this season is 558,672 metric tons, comprising of: export - 374,751 million tons, domestic sales - 69,649 million tons and 114,272 million tons for the processing industry. These figures are 5% lower than last year, with exports down 5%, the domestic market up 2%, and processing down by 2%.

Alan Pollard CEO of NZ Apples and Pears shared early indications are that demand is strong in their key markets, but they still concerned about continued disruption to international shipping schedules and congestion in ports.

In the 2020 season, 48% of the New Zealand crop went to Asia, 24% to Europe, 10% to Ireland and the UK, 9% to North America and 6% to the Middle East. The largest individual markets are Germany, UK, USA, China and Vietnam.

Alan also said they have a shortage of available seasonal workers: "New Zealand would expect to have up to 50,000 backpackers at any given time. Approximately 5,000 have remained in NZ since our borders closed. The New Zealand government approved just over 2,000 workers to enter NZ via a special border exception."

New Zealand Apples & Pears Inc. promotes and represents the NZ pipfruit industry, which includes growers, packers and marketers of apples and pears in both domestic and export markets.

Click here to check more information about apples and pears in NZ.