Passionfruit lovers have been stung in the pocket after a dire summer has delayed supply of the fruit, and led to steep price rises.
At one point last week passionfruit jumped to nearly $40 a kg in supermarkets and in some grocery stores could only be found for $6 forfour. They usually sold for between $18 a kg and $28 a kg.
New Zealand Passionfruit Growers Association member David Bateman said the small community of passionfruit growers had their latest start to a season in a decade. There was plenty of passionfruit on vines but an overcast summer meant very little of it had ripened.
"The fruit tells us when it's ready - it's a unique crop. It just hangs on longer, and we're just waiting for it to drop."
He said the passionfruit season normally ran from January to April. Most growers should be halfway through their crop by now, but many were just starting.
Turners & Growers' procurement manager said his company was three to four weeks behind on passionfruit stocks, but the quality had not been diminished by the strained supply. The lack of sunshine hours had delayed several summer-ripening fruit stocks.
