Plant growers ‘jeopardising’ foreign market
PA Auckland Complacency among New Zealand growers of fruiting and ornamental plants has endangered overseas markets, said Mr Kerry Finnigan. managing director of Hortex International. Growers were given orders to fill sometimes a year in advance, said Mr Finnigan, but, when the time came to ship them, the plants were only half the size ordered or the grower had not enough available. “I would say New Zealand growers have got one more chance with some of the big overseas nurseries," Mr Finnigan said. “We've promised them that we will get our act together in New Zealand and the next order will be met in full.” Hortex exports ornamentals, such as conifers and camellias, to Europe, Britain, Japan, the United States, Korea and the Middle East,
and -has a joint venture nursery in the United Arab Emirates. Fruiting plants, such as feijoas and kiw'ifruit. are exported to Europe, the United States and Japan, "We. send our plants in autumn to arrive: in the Northern Hemisphere spring.”. Mr Finnigan said. ' “We have an advantage over northern growers. in, that we can grow our plants more quickly — we can get the plants in six months, the height northern growers do in 12 months. Also, our plants seems to benefit from missing one winter." .' The Hortex group expects to top $1.5 million in export sales this year and possibly double next year. But Mr Finnigan warned growers that the Government might not continue its “positive support" of,, their section of the horticultural industry if export volumes did not increase to the levels predicted.
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Press, 2 June 1982, Page 16
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264Plant growers ‘jeopardising’ foreign market Press, 2 June 1982, Page 16
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