ENZA pushes red kiwifruit plans for NZ

Enza promoting the new red kiwifruit at the Berlin trade show.

A New Zealand company is seeing red over plans to grow a new kiwifruit variety in New Zealand.

The "ENZARed" kiwifruit - also known as red sun kiwifruit, had its first commercial harvest at orchards in China's Sichuan province and was last month marketed at Fruit Logistica, an international convention in Berlin for fruit and vegetable producers.

Turners & Growers managing director Jeff Wesley says it is not just the colour which widens the appeal of the fruit.

"It's very sweet and it's got a creamy taste. It suits the Asian palate and the European market."

Wesley likens the popularity of the recently launched fruit to that of the gold kiwifruit which now earns over $250 million each year for New Zealand. He says the new fruit is already showing signs of popularity and sells at a 17 per cent premium in the European market.

The plants for the fruit are being propagated to be grafted next year. To produce its own varieties here, Turners and Growers is involved in legal challenges against Zespri which has a monopoly on new Zealand kiwifruit exports export.

"If that comes out in our favour, which we think it will, we can start propagating. We should be able to grow our own varieties," said Wesley.

The ENZARed kiwifruit being grown in China are not imported to New Zealand but the leaves of the plant are brought over in the invitro growing process. Wesley says "it would be a shame" if consumers and growers missed out on New Zealand sales of the new variety.

He says plans to produce the variety are also underway in Europe, Japan and the United States. But he remains firmly of the opinion that New Zealand growers should also be able to produce the fruit - which Turners and Growers holds international rights for.

"ENZARed is tipped to become the premium variety for international customers and it's vital that New Zealand reaps the benefits as the Southern Hemisphere's growing hub."

Turners & Growers development manager Murray Malone says the shelf life of the fruit is generally between six and nine months, so does not depend on chemical treatments used to increase the size of some yellow and green varieties.