Pipfruit New Zealand today announced its estimate of the apple and pear export crop for 2012 .

The crop is estimated to be 300,000 tonnes (16.6 million cartons), very similar to last year’s exports of 302,000 tonnes.

“This year’s crop is somewhat unusual in being consistent with 2011,” Chief Executive Peter Beaven said from Hastings today.  “In the previous five years we have seen significant production swings from year to year because apple trees tend to be naturally biennial bearing and also because of frosts during flowering.”

Royal Gala, still the largest variety, will produce 5.7 million cartons for export, while previous mainstay, Braeburn, has shrunk by 24% to 3.3 million cartons, the lowest production for 20 years. “The predicted low crop for Braeburn is a response from growers who have struggled for years to obtain sustainable returns from Europe,” Beaven said. “Tree removals and growing for process instead of export have resulted in the Braeburn crop, a signature NZ variety, shrinking from a high of eight million cartons exported only six years ago.”
 
This year’s harvest will start a little later than normal. “The late winter cold spell delayed flowering by up to two weeks with the result that the main Royal Gala harvest will not commence until late February.” Beaven said.

Conditions since New Year have been ideal with warm days and enough cool mornings to get good colour development. Precipitation has been sufficient to keep soil moisture levels up and optimise fruit size.

Exporters have been receiving enquiry for apple and pear supply from all markets, particularly Asia, where there is good growth in demand, but also the traditional markets in the EU and North America.  “New Zealand’s reputation as a reliable supplier of high quality, highly coloured, safe apples and pears enables us to command premium prices in all markets,” Mr Beaven says.

The variety mix of the NZ crop continues to move away from Royal Gala and Braeburn. These two varieties will make up 55% of the expected volume, while Jazz® is expected to top two million cartons for the first time and will constitute 12% of volume. Other large contributors will be Fuji with 1.7 million cartons, the Pacific series with 1.1 million and Pink Lady® with 830,000 cartons.

New Zealand supplies its apples and pears to more than 60 countries each year, with the EU and Asia/Middle East being the largest customers.

Australia is the newest market available, with the first apples for ninety years being supplied late last year after a WTO required Australian quarantine authorities to modify import conditions. This year, ten packhouses are expected to be able to pass the stringent audits to qualify for supply.

The largest percentage of this year’s export volume will come from Hawke’s Bay, which will supply 61% of the crop, or 10.1 million cartons, while Nelson production will export 5.3 million cartons, or 32% of the national crop. Of the smaller growing regions, Central Otago is the largest with 656,000 cartons, while most of the balance of the crop will come from Waikato, Gisborne and Wairarapa.

Statement ends.
For more information contact
Peter Beaven, Chief Executive, Pipfruit NZ
+64 6 873 7080
+64 272 355 322