Zespri chief executive Dan Mathieson said in a recent update that fruit quality remained an ongoing and significant issue this season: "Zespri is continuing to work with our colleagues across the industry and with our partners to address the immediate and longer term issues to ensure we see improvements this year and into the years ahead.”
"We are not alone in facing this challenge, with quality issues evident across other global fruit categories this season, and our competitors and colleagues have also battled labour shortages, supply chain congestion and inflationary pressures, all of which impact grower returns."
Mathieson said this was likely to be reflected in the next orchard gate returns forecast on 23 August. Indications were conventional fruit returns would be at the bottom of, and possibly even below, the ranges published in June, he told growers.
Organic fruit, where quality is closer to last season, was tracking between the mid-point and the lower end of the range published in June.
Source: rnz.co.nz