Record payout to kiwifruit growers

Press, 18 March 1983, Page 11

Record payout to kiwifruit growers

The major kiwifruit exporter. Fruitfed Export, has paid growers a record $ll a ''tray during the 1982'83 season.

• Payment has been by instalment, the latest ($1.20 a tray) reaching more than 200 growers throughout New Zealand last week. A further payment will be made

when final export receipts 'come in and growers will also receive a share-of-profits rebate in April.

Fruitfed Export is the ..international marketing arm of the New Zealand

Fruitgrowers - Federation, •Ltd — the only growers’ co- ' operative among the country's six designated - kiwifruit exporters.

It has been exporting kiwifruit for 30 years and handled 26 per cent of the total New Zealand crop last year.

Major markets were again West Germany, Japan, and North America, but several new markets were established, including Taiwan, the Philippines,

Singapore. Hong Kong. Indonesia. the West Indies. Spain, and Italy. Commenting on the latest payout, Fruitfed Export’s market development manager, Mr John Wittus. said that the reduced crop in 1982 (down from 6.2 to 4.6 million trays) had pushed prices up during the 1982/83 season.

Although this compensated New Zealand's kiwifruit growers for a poor growing season it meant that a number of traditional customers did not receive fruit because they were not prepared to pay the higher prices.

“The challenge this year, with a record 10.5 million trays expected for export, will be to attract these customers back." said Mr Wittus. “Whereas in 1982. we opened at a high level, the strategy this time will be to strike a more reasonable opening price and build on that as the season progresses and demand strengthens."

Fruitfed Export approaches the new season with great optimism.

"There are so many people in Europe and other markets who have not even been introduced to kiwifruit,” said Mr Wittus. "With additional promotion and stronger marketing, we have no worries about moving the greater volumes and again getting our growers a very good return. "The only proviso is that we maintain our high reputation for producing and exporting only top quality kiwifruit.”