Zespri set for a bumper SunGold harvest from European and Asian orchards

Zespri's Northern Hemisphere growers are set to produce a record gold harvest as weather improves.

Kiwifruit marketer Zespri is expecting a record harvest from its Northern Hemisphere growers, boosting the company’s strategy to be able to deliver a year-round supply of Zespri-branded fruit to key global markets.

The Bay of Plenty-based global exporter expects to sell around 29 million trays, or just over 100,000 tonnes, of kiwifruit grown in contracted orchards in France, Italy, Greece, Korea and Japan, said Nick Kirton, executive officer, Northern Hemisphere supply.

This compares to 24 million trays or 88,000 tonnes last season, which was marred by extreme heat and weather events which impacted fruit size, yield and quality.

Zespri has partnerships with around offshore 1500 growers and suppliers, forged over more than 20 years to complement New Zealand’s seasonal harvest.

Kirton said this season’s green fruit northern sales volumes were expected to remain steady on last season, but SunGold sales were projected to lift by 25 per cent, reflecting improved growing conditions, higher yields and new production.

Zespri’s Northern Hemisphere supply programme continued to grow and was expected to double in volume by 2030, Kirton said.

Zespri, which in FY23 reported global operating revenue of $4.2 billion, is fully owned by current and former New Zealand kiwifruit growers. It has 850 employees in New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

In the 2022-2023 season, the company supplied 183.5 million trays of kiwifruit to more than 50 markets.

In France it has 100 growers on 340 hectares supplying its global best-seller SunGold fruit. This year’s French crop will be 33 per cent up on last season.

Italian growers number 1000 across 2700ha. They will produce 22 per cent more SunGold than last season.

In Korea, Zespri has 250 growers on 175ha. Their SunGold production will be up 56 per cent.

Japan’s 200 growers will produce 32 per cent more SunGold from 100ha.

Andrea Fox joined the Herald as a senior business journalist in 2018 and specialises in writing about the dairy industry, agribusiness, exporting and the logistics sector and supply chains.

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