Export consent committee has Enza fretting

By PHILIPPA STEVENSON

The independent consent regime for apple exports has raised fears for Enza that the ground is being cut from beneath its feet.

The executive chairman of Enzafruit International, John McCliskie, says the organisation is gravely concerned about the amount of fruit it believes is being sold by other exporters.

Enza, which exported 17 million cartons last year, had received no detail from the Apple and Pear Board export permits committee but had "back door" information on volumes.

"The only people not knowing what the hell's going on has been ourselves. It has been far less than satisfactory.

"If they give out two million cartons that has severe implications for our business."

The committee, set up under new legislation designed to separate industry marketing and regulatory functions, is responsible for granting export permits to markets which do not conflict with Enza's.

But Mr McCliskie said the committee asked only "very broad" questions which did not allow Enza to properly respond. Decisions based on insufficient information could lead to the erosion of Enza's customer base and the premium it earned on apples.

"Up till now we have not been able to give them relevant information for each application because we haven't known what the hell to give them.

"We are still single desk where we have to sell the whole crop, but we were rapidly ending up in the position of being an exporter of last resort and we are not going to allow that to happen."

An exporter who has successfully won permits from the committee is upset at Enza's situation.

John Mangan of Freshco, which with the Organic Pipfruit Producers NZ Ltd has consents to export 533,000 cartons of organic apples, said he had sympathy for Enza's having to work in an information vacuum and was also keen to know the position of others.

"Ultimately, whatever happens has to be done alongside Enza. We agree with that. They have to handle the rest of it [the crop]."

Mr Mangan said the committee was also in a difficult position and was making decisions in an environment that was quite hostile.

"They may have wanted to provide the information and couldn't. The whole apple industry at the moment seems to be fraught with people with different opinions on what should happen.

"There is a fair bit of uncertainty and I think that is fuelling more of the argument and debate than the reality."

Last night, Mr McCliskie said Enza had received a letter from the committee undertaking to give it more information about the applications it had granted.

The committee secretary, Nicola White, confirmed it was reviewing how it did its job.

"We have always had a process for obtaining information from Enza but we are increasing the opportunity for them to comment on applications."