Board prunes apple export plan

By Philippa Stevenson

An Auckland-based fruit trader is supplying overseas markets with South African apples, after its attempts to export New Zealand apples proved less than fruitful.

The managing director of Fresh NZ Produce, Lew Dagger, says seven months of negotiations with the Apple and Pear Marketing Board and the export consent advisory committee, have left him disheartened, frustrated and having to source apples from South Africa.

"I live in New Zealand and we had identified opportunities for New Zealand product."

Last October, Fresh NZ applied to export 1.3 million cartons to markets in Britain, North America and Asia.

Its aim was to increase the total net income to the industry, targeting new market segments that did not impinge on the export business of Enza, the board's marketing arm.

In a December recommendation to the board, the consent committee rejected requests for the export of 970,400 cartons to Canada, Guam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Tahiti, Philippines, Taiwan, Britain, the US, and Vietnam.

However, it recommended consents be granted for Fresh NZ to supply an unspecified amount of cartons to military bases in Japan, Korea and Guam, 30,000 cartons of three varieties to Panama, as the company had requested, and 120,000 of the 200,000 cartons it requested for Northern China, specifying these shipments could consist of 40,000 cartons of red delicious, 40,000 granny smith, 20,000 royal gala, and 20,000 fuji.

Mr Dagger challenged the recommendations on several points before the board considered them and the board then sent the matter back to the consents committee for review.

In February, the consents committee also recommended the board consent to Fresh NZ exporting 100,000 cartons of royal gala and 25,000 granny smith to the Philippines, 5000 carton of three varieties to Tahiti and New Caledonia, and 3000 cartons of five varieties to Internet fruit providers in Britain and the US.

But the board rejected the committee's recommendations on the exports to the Philippines, Tahiti and New Caledonia and consented to 40,000 cartons of two varieties only for export to Northern China, as long as prices achieved in the market were above its own.

On March 11, the board agreed to a range of fruit grades being sent to Panama but reconfirmed its rejection of the other markets.

On March 22, Mr Dagger advised the board that the company had withdrawn its application for Northern China because the conditions were unworkable. It is continuing to pursue opportunities in Panama.

The president of Pipfruit Growers, Richard Easton, says he knows little of Fresh NZ's case.

He says, however, the grower organisation is negotiating with Enza to eliminate the "referee-player scenario" and growers want to see the committee totally independent by next year.