Big guns aimed at avo targets

Jen Scoular and Ashby Whitehead.

A new collaboration announced this week between the Avocado Industry Council and the Ministry for Primary Industries to address inconsistency of supply in the industry is a positive move for the export trade, says Tauranga-based Southern Produce director Tony Ponder.

The Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) avocado programme, Go Global, is a five-year programme to increase productivity and capability, within the industry, which has a major presence in the Bay of Plenty. The programme will address the industry's biggest challenge of low and irregularly bearing trees.

"This PGP programme will create significant value across the industry, helping position New Zealand's avocado industry to capitalise on the growing demand domestically and in Asia, for premium, safe, and healthy produce," said council chief executive Jen Scoular, who described the programme as a landmark development for the industry.

The avocado industry is the third-largest fresh fruit export from New Zealand, with the 2014-15 season expected to produce a near record of five million trays. The Go Global programme aims to equip the industry with the tools to triple productivity to 12 tonnes per hectare and quadruple industry returns to $280 million by 2023.

"One of the fundamental problems for a number of years is that productivity has been inconsistent. The crops tend to be up one year and down the next," said Mr Ponder, who is also a director and vice chairman of the Avocado Industry Council.

"Developing international markets for New Zealand avocados requires surety of supply year-on-year. For exporters like Southern Produce who operate in the international marketplace, addressing the continuity and variability of supply is a fundamental premise for adding value for clients."

The PGP aims to boost the productivity and profitability of the primary sector. MPI and industry have now collectively committed about $708 million in 18 announced programmes..

Justine Gilliland, director PGP, Ministry for Primary Industries, said a total investment of $8.56 million had been secured for the avocado programme, with MPI committing $4.28 million over five years, and the balance coming from industry partners.

"We're excited by this new programme. It's the first horticulture programme involving fresh fruit in the PGP, showing the diversity of the industries involved in the PGP," said Ms Gilliland.

Mr Ponder said government support was needed as grower contributions alone were not sufficient to address the complex issues around inconsistent bearing of avocado trees.

Ashby Whitehead, chairman of the Avocado Industry Council, said: "The PGP includes co-investment from growers, packers, processors and exporters, it is a real cross-industry collaboration."