Jens Liesebach, KGI Lower North Island Representative
Harvest is in full swing and some lucky growers have finished picking their crop. The start of the G3 harvest was early, but then eased off, as the dry matter build-up was slower than expected. Zespri adjusted the Kiwistart rate to encourage early picking. The first green kiwifruit was picked in the Hawke’s Bay last week, which is about normal for this variety.
The first shipment of kiwifruit has arrived in South Korea, Japan and China. The fruit was aboard the MV Kakariki, the second of three new specialised reefer vessels built by Fresh Carriers to ship New Zealand-grown kiwifruit to Zespri’s Asian markets. Alastair Hulbert, Zespri’s Chief Global Supply Officer, says MV Kakariki is the first of 57 planned charter reefer vessels under Zespri’s shipping programme this season, up from the 49 charter vessels used last season. This season will see five sailings to North Europe, 12 to the Mediterranean and 40 to Zespri’s Asian markets. Zespri expects to send around 18,000 containers of kiwifruit, the equivalent of 177 million trays or 700,00 tonnes- a record-breaking crop of New Zealand-grown Zespri Kiwifruit.
A series of town halls and online discussions are also planned over the coming months to help provide growers with the information necessary to make an informed decision on the proposed one-year Gold3 trial in China. These discussions will commence on April 22 at 6pm with Zespri Chief Growth Officer, Jiunn Shih. This online session moderated by NZKGI will cover the importance of validating different branding options in the Chinese market. Please register your interest with Zespri. More details can be found on the Zespri Canopy.
The X. International Symposium on Kiwifruit (Kiwifruit 2021), will be held as a virtual (online) Symposium, from 27-30 September 2021. New Zealand growers are invited to attend and there is a discount on registrations until 31 August. More information can be found at www.kiwifruit2021.org.
