First cherry exports depend on weather

Press, 13 December 1985, Page 21

First cherry exports depend on weather

The first New Zealand cherries to be exported to Japan could be on sale next week.

But success depends on dry weather over Marlborough for the next few days. Out-of-season availability of top quality Dawson cherries just before Christmas means growers could receive $l5 a kilogram from their exports. The cherries will be exported in one kilogram and 500 gram packs, and like gift boxes of chocolates they can be viewed through a plastic window, according to the manager of Marlborough Fruit Producers, Ltd, Mr David Allen. The Japanese want fresh, well-ripened cherries of good colour and flavour, he said.

They must feel pleasant on the palate as well as being nutritive and low in calories.

Scientists of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research are also hoping rain does not split the ripe cherries on the trees, having succeeded after five years in develop-

ing a process which will guarantee codling moth-free cherries can be exported. Approval of the process was received from Japanese quarantine authorities only last month and the chance to use the new system on a true export consignment depends now on a few rainfree days.

Although growers can earn $l5 a kg, the cost of maintaining a crop, harvesting, packing and freight averages $ll a kg. The cost of fumigation and packing will vary, depending on how much fruit is produced, Mr Allen said.’

“We charge a flat rate so if more cherries are produced the cost will be spread over a wider base.”

There will be rebates depending on what proportion of the export crop the grower produces, he said. The cost will also depend on what percentage of the grower’s fruit is acceptable' for export. If the grower has a 70 per cent pack-out rate, it would cost just over $7 a kilogram to have the fruit processed. Transport within New Zealand costs about 49 cents a kg, while airfreight costs $2.53 a kg for a tonne or more of cherries to Tokyo.

If New Zealand is to export to Japan, continuity of supply is important, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ horticulture advisor, Mr John Ballinger.

A repeat of the last two seasons in Blenheim where the cherry crop was spoiled .by rain in the four to six weeks before picking will not be acceptable, he said. Although gross returns may reach $84,000 a hectare, the costs of growing cherries for export are high, according to figures from the M.A.F.’s economics division. Planting a 10 hectare block in cherries costs $3OOO and there is no real return until six years after planting. In a 10 hectare orchard, more than $12,000 will be spent during the six years on fertiliser, weed control, mowing, discing, pest and disease control, pruning and training, replacement plants and shelter maintenance. Harvesting the crop in the sixth year will cost $3500. When the yield reaches its sustainable level in the eighth year, harvest costs will increase to $6OOO, about 50 cents a kg. Maintenance of the crop at the sustainable level will cost about $lO,OOO a year. “Cherry covering will be essential for anyone growing for Japan to provide quality fruit and prevent rain cracking, which is a risk in the Blenheim area,” he said. The average cost of rain covering presently being tested in the area is $50,000 a hectare.