New Zealand fruit and vegetable prices could go up considerably because of the damage done to crops by Cyclone Hale. Severe weather has been affecting Northland, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa since Monday, as the cyclone reached New Zealand.
Federated Farmers president for Gisborne and Wairoa, Toby Williams, said heavy rain could damage fruit trees, grapes and maize. Meat production should be unaffected, Williams said, but the region’s locally grown fruit and vegetables will be limited.
Northland president for Federated Farmers Colin Hannah: “The maize crops up here, because of the earlier floods we’ve had, a lot of them have had to be planted two or three times, so the yield is going to be down substantially. It all takes time to cultivate, it all takes time to get the ground ready, it takes time to sow the seed - and the seed stock doesn’t come cheap either.”
Source: nzherald.co.nz
