First bite into juicy market

The first shipment to China will be small to test the consumer response.

After a 12-year negotiation, New Zealand is shipping its first export of persimmons to China in what exporters say will be a multimillion-dollar opportunity for the industry.

After a successful conclusion to negotiations between the Ministry for Primary Industries and China's quarantine authority AQSIQ, Gisborne-based exporter First Fresh will send its first shipment next month.

First Fresh managing director Ian Albers said the strategy would be to start small and gain a clear understanding of its Chinese consumers before taking the next step.

"At this stage we're just dipping our toe in the water to see what the interest is like. It's difficult to say how much it's worth until we get a year or so under our belt."

Mr Albers said this was definitely "a multimillion-dollar opportunity".

"China could fuel decades of growth for the New Zealand persimmon industry, but only if we get our approach right," he said.

"That's why we're only exporting a small test shipment into Shanghai in the first year."

New Zealand's total persimmon exports amount to about $8 million, mainly to Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Negotiations for access to the Chinese market began in 2005 and persimmon will be the first new fruit to gain access to the Chinese market since the free trade agreement was signed in 2008.

The fruit would be marketed in China by Foodview, a New Zealand specialist marketing company.

The first shipment would be sold through 250 retail stores, with feedback collected from customers.

"We want to make sure we understand the market and consumer preferences to ensure the market is ready for us before we arrive in force," he said.

New Zealand's 50 persimmon growers have 154ha under cultivation, 70 per cent of which is in the Gisborne area.