Troubles in the kiwi fruit industry

Despite a lift to horticulture exports this year, not every fruit is booming.

 

Kiwi fruit exports have dropped by 40 per cent this year.

 

Favorable seasonal conditions in Italy and a large crop in New Zealand have lowered demand for Australian kiwi fruit.

 

Australia's largest kiwi fruit exporter, Jamie Craig, said his export industry has slowed, and has been made harder by people not paying their bills.

"Certainly there are plenty of traps, obviously debt collection is a lot more difficult with distance and with foreign jurisdictions,' he said. "So you need to be particularly careful as to who your counterparties are."

 

Meanwhile, kiwifruit growers in New Zealand are still counting the damage costs caused by this week's storms. Two hailstorms went through the country's main kiwi fruit growing region of Te Puke, affecting 250 growers at harvest time.

 

Peter Ombler, from New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers, said some orchards have been wiped out but it's unlikely to affect exports.

"We're talking about something around five per cent less of the total crop, but for the people who have been affected obviously it's very significant and in some cases catastrophic really," he said.