Discussions on kiwifruit

Press, 20 November 1981, Page 12

Discussions on kiwifruit

By

JOHN HUTCHISON

in San Francisco

The “mirrored” seasons of the New Zealand and- America kiwifruit harvests lead, in fact, to some overlap in the markets in California. Marketing is being discussed this month by representatives from both countries. Kiwifruit from New Zealand and California have appeared side by side at retail outlets in San Francisco, with the Californian product less uniform in apparent quality but selling for considerably less than the imports. The October-November overlap is being considered

while officers of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Authority and the Kiwifruit Export Commission meet with and address the board of the California Kiwifruit Commission. It is the first official encounter of the three bodies in the United States. The commission, with its office in Sacramento, is in its first year of operation. Mr Paul Lessig, its president, said discussion is likely of possible co-ordination of promotion efforts. The Californians are em-

barked on their initial campaign, spending $250,000 to popularise their fruit. The New Zealand product is promoted, in the United States with a comparable effort. Mr Lessig said that exchange of horticultural research, packing and shipping techniques may also be discussed. The visitors are Mr Roly. Earp, chairman, and Mr Tony Holman, executive director, of the authority, and Mr Max Nichols, chairman, and Mr Eoin Barnett, vice-chair-man, of the export commission. They arrived on November 15.