IFPA A-NZ appoints interim CEO
The International Fresh Produce Association Australia-New Zealand (IFPA A-NZ) has appointed Ben Hoodless as its interim chief executive. Current chief executive Darren Keating announced his

New Zealand: Preparation for Cyclone Gabrielle advised
Farmers, growers and rural communities are being urged to take precautions and get prepared for the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle. The storm has now intensified into a category 3 severe tropical

VentureFruit unveils Tutti, world’s first ever hot-climate apple
New Zealand-based company VentureFruit has unveiled Tutti, the world’s first branded apple variety bred specifically for production in hot climates. Twenty years in the making, Tutti’s

New Zealand-Vietnam partnership delivers new dragon fruit varieties
The first new varieties from a joint New Zealand–Vietnam dragon fruit breeding programme are set to be launched to the global marketplace.

"The onion market's been all over the place since last Monday"
Things do not seem to be going right in the Dutch onion market, and last week, growers were getting €0.70. "Everyone thought things would change after the Berlin trade fair," says Jan Franje of

First shipments of the Egyptian onion season depart next week, as the European market is in short supply
Onion stocks are down in Europe in a time of disruption across the major origins of this crop. In New Zealand, floods have washed away onion fields, and many CIS countries, such as Uzbekistan,

Confidence in Zespri has dropped over lack of pay
In an update to growers on 20 January, Zespri said growers would not get progress payments as fruit quality issues had resulted in additional costs. This has led to a letter by the New Zealand

Pacific businesses desperate for workers as thousands leave for NZ
Pacific businesses are desperate for staff because thousands of their workers are heading to New Zealand and Australia, industry officials say. The seasonal work schemes in both countries have

New Zealand horticulture sets NZ$12bn target
The New Zealand horticulture industry and government have released a new industry action plan which sets the goal of increasing the farmgate value of horticulture production to NZ$12bn (US$7.7bn

Heavy rain may lead to early stop to avocado exports, kiwifruit should escape major damage
Heavy rain has continued to hit New Zealand's North Island causing landslides, floods and infrastructure damage, a state of emergency was declared in Auckland at the weekend and four people have

Government and horticulture sector target $12b in exports by 2035
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor

"Due to flooding in New Zealand, volume availability may become problematic from April"
The current flooding on the North Island of New Zealand will have an impact on onion exports to Europe. According to Hendrik Hachmann, product specialist for onion imports and managing director of

New Zealand: Good quality and size of export apple crop expected in 2023

Good quality and size a feature of 2023’s New Zealand export apple crop
The New Zealand apple industry is expecting fruit of good quality and size as it heads into the 2023 export harvest season.