KEY POINTS:
Zespri is doing a good job of marketing kiwifruit but nearly half of growers remain concerned about the future, according to a survey by Colmar Brunton.
The survey showed that 92 per cent of growers considered Zespri's operational and marketing performance to be "good" or "very good".
Murray Denyer, general manager of corporate services and general counsel for Zespri, said a goal for the exporter was to maintain a marketing rating where 80 per cent described it as "good".
"We were particularly pleased this season because obviously we've had a very high dollar so this has probably been the lowest year in terms of growers returns for three or four years," Denyer said.
Zespri's forecast for the season ending March next year expected the payment for green fruit to drop to $6.40 a tray from $7.41 the previous year, with gold dropping from $9.42 to $8.97 a tray.
The survey found the industry was less optimistic than two years ago, with 46 per cent concerned about the future.
The high New Zealand dollar and profitability were areas of concern identified in the survey, which included 20 interviews undertaken in May and a telephone survey of 400 growers in June and July.
"Unless the dollar softens off a little bit more we'll have an equally difficult season next year," Denyer said.
A single point of entry, which is Zespri, was seen as critical for future success, with 72 per cent of growers wanting the company to focus on increasing offshore supply.
The company licenses growers overseas to produce gold kiwifruit, and in some cases sources green fruit, in Italy, France, Japan, Korea, Chile and California, with trials running in China and Australia.
Denyer said about 5 million trays of gold fruit were produced in Italy, compared with 20 million trays here.
"They [growers] actually understand the value of having that seamless 12 months' supply and that actually is to their benefit. We've got existing shelf space for the New Zealand crop when it comes in."
It was found that growers were on average 56 years of age, with on average 19 years' experience in the industry; 83 per cent were male.
Fruit Fears
* 420 growers surveyed by Colmar Brunton.
* 92 per cent say Zespri's performance is good.
* 46 per cent of growers are concerned about the future.
* Exchange rates are a big concern.
