23 January 2018
Having recently spent some time exploring the future of the New Zealand berry industry, I come away not in the least bit surprised that it has seen considerable expansion in recent years. But like most other countries there is still more to come.
The home market is hugely important to the industry. The growers are enjoying an increase in consumption for their products, driven largely by the excellent eating experience they are offering. The export market is very also very important to the New Zealand berry growers, supplying such markets as South East Asia and Australia.
One thing that stands out in New Zealand horticulture is their very strict plant health regulations. They are some of the strictest in the world. It is undeniable that this not a good thing. Of course, it simply has to be. Rigorous plant testing and long quarantine times are helpful towards the country eliminating the entry of new plant pests and diseases. The frustration here though can be the extended time it takes to get new varieties into the ever-expanding market.
The circa 600 hectares of blueberries is expected to expand two-fold over the new few years as one prime example of the country’s thirst for further development. Prices hold up well for New Zealand blueberries due to increased demand as mentioned earlier but also because of the embargo they have on imported blueberry fruit. It is interesting to see how this inadvertently drives season extension and continued internal efforts for plant breeding.
A country well known for livestock, kiwi fruit production, quality wine and a multitude of other agricultural and horticultural crops is certainly doing their bit to make sure they are on the international stage with berries. We will of course be doing everything we can to help with this expansion.
