New report says avocados, cherries and blueberries stand out as fruit that have the potential to create meaningful export growth

A new report showing opportunities for further growth in the New Zealand fresh fruit sector, including into Asia has just been released.

The Coriolis Research report, Driving Growth in the Fresh Fruit Sector, says that New Zealand’s fruit exports are shifting towards Asia and away from traditional markets like Europe and North America.

The report highlights that we can become a fruit bowl for Asia. Asian consumers prefer the sweetness and quality of New Zealand fruit and we are achieving considerable success there, said the Economic Development minister when releasing the Report.

New Zealand is sending fruit to more countries and there has also been a significant growth in the export value of fruit. Kiwifruit’s export value has almost doubled over the last decade, going from $567 million in 2002 to $1.043 billion in 2012.

Industry comments in the report indicate that, while PSA has had a significant impact on the industry’s profitability, export value growth is likely to continue into the future when the impact of the disease has passed.

The main competitive threats are from Chile and South Africa, says the report.

It also highlights a number of potential directions for growth in the fresh fruit sector including new varieties, value-added products and new and emerging fruits.

“The report says that avocados, cherries and blueberries stand out as fruit that have the potential to create meaningful export growth. There are also opportunities to develop fruit extracts and ingredients for foodservice and nutraceuticals”, Economic Development minister Steven Joyce says.

Driving Growth in the Fresh Fruit Sector is part of a series of reports released under the Food & Beverage Information Project – the most comprehensive analysis of New Zealand’s food industry ever undertaken.  

This report in full is available here or here.