New Zealand stone fruit season partially satisfactory

The stone fruit season is satisfactory for some New Zealand growers, but others are still feeling the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle.

 

The local media are reporting a very satisfactory season. According to Kate Hellstrom, Managing Director of Summerfruit New Zealand, the sunny weather over the past few months in the key production region of Central Otago has enabled large volumes to be sold on both the domestic and international markets. Almost 3,800 tonnes of cherries were exported this season, up 7% on last year. The largest volumes were shipped to Taiwan and China.

 

In addition to cherries, other stone fruits (nectarines, peaches, plums, apricots) were also exported this season. The volume of apricots exported reached 80 tonnes, 47 tonnes more than last year's very small crop.

 

While the results are satisfactory for the Central Otago region (located on the South Island), the same cannot be said for the Hawke's Bay region (located on the North Island), where volumes of summer fruit are estimated to be around 40% down on overall volumes, depending on the variety, location and damage caused by cyclone Gabrielle.