New Zealand apple production in 2022/23 has been revised down sharply as a result of the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, which hit the nation’s largest apple growing and exporting region – Hawke’s Bay/Gisborne – in February. This cyclone hit just as the harvest was starting, and thousands of hectares were either completely washed away by floods or covered in silt. Although efforts and initiatives are already underway in the region to try and recover trees and infrastructure, the impacts to the industry are anticipated to have multiyear effects. Both apple production and exports in 2022/23 are expected to fall to the lowest levels since 2009/2010.
Apples - Planted and harvested areas
Apple planted area in 2022/23 is expected to have remained steady, however following the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle in early February, the forecast for New Zealand harvested area is sharply reduced from 10,300 hectares last year to 8,900 hectares this year. Already this has been regarded as the deadliest weather event to hit the country since 1968, and the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne were the hardest hit regions. Intense winds and rain caused huge land slides and flooding, which for the apple industry in particular resulted in wide-spread destruction of orchards and infrastructure, in addition to immense build-up of silt in vast areas.
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Source: apps.fas.usda.gov