Hort News 13 February 2024 by Rural News Group

HORTNEWS

Bumper cherry exports in 2024 – Page 3

ISSN 2624-3490 (print) ISSN 2624-3504 (online)

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FEBRUARY 2024, ISSUE 41

Healing the damage!

Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE YUMMY Fruit Company’s John Paynter heard the news of the impending cyclone. He immediately sent a text message to son Paul – who is the general manager of the company and was in Auckland on his way home from an overseas trip. Paynter says he told Paul the Esk Valley, where the company had about 120,000 apple trees, was going to flood. Yummy Fruit lost all their apple trees in the Esk Valley in the flood that came, covering them with up to two metres in silt – making the land unfit to plant new trees. Paynter says people had talked about devastating floods that hit the Heretaunga Plains back in the late 1800’s when people and livestock were swept out to sea. But no one imagined what Gabrielle unleashed in 2023. “We had seven metres of water go through the Esk Valley, five metres through the Pakowhai area and three or four metres though Meeane,” Paynter told Hort News. “The damage was unthinkable and at the time we had no idea of what the results would be. “We were left wondering how to deal with this massive volume of silt which was wet and thick and looked incredibly formidable.” Paynter says, to date, they have taken 1000 truckloads of silt from a 14.5ha block. On other orchards where the silt wasn’t so deep they

tility for replanting trees if they can afford to do so. He says in time there will be a need to amalgamate some of the smaller orchards into larger more economic units. He says there needs to be some sort of programme to facilitate this. Paynter notes that some orchards have passed their use-by date anyway and in the long-term new varieties of apple trees will make for more profitable operations that will benefit the industry as a whole. He says in other cases, where up to 30% of the trees in a block are no longer viable, the whole block will be replanted. Paynter told Hort News the magnitude and impact of Cyclone Gabrielle cannot be underestimated because of the loss it caused to individuals, companies and the economy of the Hawke’s Bay region. He says orchardists in their 70s and 80s who have lost their homes and their future income are suffering and helping them out is critical. Paynter adds that looking back at the way the cyclone was handled by the authorities, it’s fair to say some things were handled well and others not so well. But no one could have estimated the scale of this event. “When you go out into the fields today and sky is blue and the grass is green, it’s hard to believe the magnitude of water that was flowing across these lands a year ago,” he says.

have used a dutch spader machine to mix the silt in the rows into the soil between the trees, in the hope the land will be fine in the future. In other areas, they won’t complete the cleanup and remediation for another year. “But we are surprised beyond belief that most of the apple trees have miraculously survived and we are likely to get a much better crop than we expected,” he says, Their stonefruit operation did not fare well either. According to Paynter, they lost about 50% of their stone fruit which he says is a major blow to the company. Driving though the Pakowhai area, Paynter says scars of Cyclone Gabrielle remain. In orchards which lost all their trees, some of the smaller owner operators have walked off their land, leaving derelict homes to rot away. Others are growing squash to get a cash crop, and by mixing silt and soil are hoping to build up fer-

John Paynter reckons he had a premonition about the ferocity that Cyclone Gabrielle would unleash on the region a year ago.

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HORTNEWS

FEBRUARY 2024

Spud boss digging in to her role SIX MONTHS into the Potatoes New Zealand chief executive role and Kate Trufitt has embraced the challenges and opportunities with enthusiasm. With a wealth of experience in the horticulture industry spanning over 20 plus years, Trufitt is making her mark in the horticulture industry. She has travelled the length and breath of the New Zealand engaging with growers and industry partners. “This opportunity has allowed me to really utilise all my experience and

expertise developed over time,” she says. “Working with industry it is clear that Potato New Zealand needs to really drive the industry strategy with guidance from our board and for the benefit of our growers.” Trufitt adds that she is encouraged by what the future holds and the direction New Zealand’s potato industry is heading. Heading up a team of six experienced staff, Trufitt says she is com-

mitted to listening, enabling and promoting better outcomes for the New Zealand potato industry. As the focus for the Potatoes New Zealand team shifts to the year ahead, one of their primary goals includes garnering member support for the levy order. There is also presenting the finalised strategy and business plans to propel the industry in the right direction. With the levy order vote sched-

Kate Trufitt is six months into her role as Potatoes New Zealand chief executive.

uled for April - May 2024, Trufitt and her team are rallying grower members to actively participate in shaping the future of New Zealand’s potato industry. Trufitt is optimistic about the vision for the NZ potato sector: ‘End to End Value Creation’. She adds that there will be no resting for the Potatoes New Zealand team as in the coming months they will be working towards the industry’s objectives.

New apricots a sweet success tonnes expected. She says the apricots ware looking “amazing.” “The first of them has now gone through to the Auckland market and we’re just gearing up to go to export now.” Kirk says the new varieties are highly “blushed” – so deeply coloured they may be mistaken for peaches at a glance. The fruit is also getting Brix measurements of 14 to 21, “which is actually very high for an apricot”. A standard measure of dissolved solids in the juice, a Brix figure roughly corresponds to sugar percentage. Kirk says normal apricots usually sit between 7 and 14. Meanwhile, an ethylene-recessive gene improves their shelf life, making them ideal for export. First exports would soon be going to Dubai. The fruit is also available domestically by online order from Kirk’s Southern Fruits International website. She adds that the new varieties don’t pres-

Nigel Malthus

NEW APRICOT varieties especially bred to give the New Zealand industry a shot in the arm are looking “amazing” in their first full commercial season, says grower Sharon Kirk. The new varieties, known as Nzsummer2, Nzsummer3 and Nzsummer4 – along with other trial cultivars – have been developed by Plant and Food Research specifically for the Central Otago growing region. With an eye to improved flavour, colour and shelf life, around 50ha of the new apricots have now been planted. About half of that on Ardgour Valley Orchards, recently established on the Jolly family’s sheep and beef Ardgour Station, at Tarras. Ardgour Valley Orchards director Sharon Kirk says the trees, planted over the last three years, were now in their first full harvest season, with a yield of about 80

ent any unusual difficulties to grow but they’re still determining when it’s best to harvest, and optimum parameters for storage and handling. “You harvest them then you sit them for 24 hours in ambient and so it’s just working out how to do that,” Kirk told Hort News. “We’re learning that all as we go.” While Ardgour is the biggest grower so far, Kirk says another 20 orchards have plantings of the new varieties. They are not jointly marketing the fruit, but Kirk says they share information through a grower cooperative that handles the varieties. “We are all still learning, and it’s a matter of just seeing how things go and what we need to learn, comparing it, and seeing if we can improve for the next year.” By next season, they intend replacing the “Nzsummer” label with a new name and branding, following market feedback.

Sharon Kirk says new apricot varieties especially bred to give the NZ industry a shot in the arm are looking “amazing” in their first full commercial season.

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HORTNEWS

FEBRUARY 2024

New avocado boss eyes boosting grower returns Sudesh Kissun sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

BOOSTING GROWER returns in the number one priority for new NZ Avocado chief executive Brad Siebert. The avocado sector is facing a significant drop in export volumes while operating costs are rising. This season, exports volumes are down a million trays due to weatherrelated impacts on fruit quality. Siebert, along with a new NZ Avocado board, is drawing up a new strategy to meet those challenges. They plan to review their structure and an approach to export sys-

tems that are agile and efficient and bring long term resilience. “Our inherent challenges are achieving consistent yields of highquality fruit and building demand in export markets,” Siebert told Hort News. “For this reason, we are pursuing market opportunities, removing unnecessary compliance and advocating for growers’ views to ensure policy settings with central and regional governments that are fit for purpose. “To overcome the competition that we now face in some of our key markets, the sector will need to prioritise market

development offshore and within New Zealand at a sufficient intensity to overcome these challenges.” Siebert replaces Jan Scoular who stepped down in 2023 after 12 years in the role. He joined NZ Avocados 10 years ago, to manage the Primary Growth Partnership, a crown co-funded programme focused on market diversification, supply chain collaboration and the industry systems supporting an export focused sector. Siebert has also led the biosecurity, risk management, market access, resource management and sustainability areas of

NZ Avocado chief executive Brad Siebert says the sector is facing a significant drop in export volumes while operating costs are rising.

the association. He says he’s proud to be able to lead a team focused on supporting the growers and supply chain partners of the avocado industry. “It is of course daunting with the realities of the current season being realised, however my background and relationships that I have built are well suited to the areas that the industry needs to have a focus on in the coming years to ensure that growers get rewarded for what they do best. “I am confident that we have the right talent through the team, within the industry and around the board table to meet the challenges ahead.”

BUMPER CHERRY EXPORTS IN 2024 NEW ZEALAND cherry producer Southern Fruits International expects to send up to 340 tonnes of luxury cherries to the global market this summer – just over double that of the volume sent last year. It will be the second commercial year on the market for Southern Fruits International’s Beyond brand cherries produced at two significant orchard developments spanning more than 160 hectares in Central Otago. “We’ve had excellent pre-season interest from existing and developing markets in Asia and new markets in the Middle East and the United States. All the signs are there for a positive season,” says company founder and marketing manager Sharon Kirk.

Southern Fruits International expects to send up to 340 tonnes of luxury cherries to the global market this summer.

“We took our pre-sale system to (international trade show) Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong last September and a significant number of buyers took the opportunity to prepurchase fruit. This confidence in our brand and our fruit puts us in a very good place leading into the season.” Kirk says favourable pre-season

conditions and an increase in fruit load due to the trees’ maturity contributed to the volume forecast. “The trees are now three to four years old and about halfway to being in full production,” she added. “As they mature, the fruit load increases and, if the weather is kind as it has been so far this year,

we are looking at a very promising harvest with exceptional fruit size and brix (sugar content).” The harvest has started with early varieties and continues until late January or early February, depending on weather conditions. “Our customers in Asia and fruit available on shelves just in time for Christmas,” Kirk says. “Over the past year, we have been developing various markets within the United States and the Middle East. We have expanded our reach in China, Taiwan and Vietnam, and Thailand is emerging as new market. The Middle East is an exciting market with the opportunity to develop more retail sales in cherry punnets.”

Kirk says the Chinese market, which traditionally paid a premium for 30-32mm fruit and 2kg or 5kg boxes, was this year showing more interest in 26mm fruit and 1kg boxes. The company also supplies its premium cherries to the domestic market via online sales with 1kg, 2kg and 5kg boxes available and sales via Seeka Fresh Ltd which supplies local supermarkets and retailers. “As New Zealanders associate cherries with Christmas, we launched our online shop so people had beautiful Central Otago cherries on the table for Christmas,” she adds. “We’ve had excellent demand and fruit will continue to be available for online purchase right throughout the season.”

HORTNEWS

FEBRUARY 2024

Kiwifruit sector heads into harvest season far more optimistic Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THINGS ARE looking really promising at this stage for the 2024 kiwifruit harvest. That’s the view of Colin Bond, head of the NZ kiwifruit growers’ organisation – NZKGI. He says there is excitement amongst growers at an industry level. But Bond adds that they are hearing about a few growers who are still suffering impacts of last year’s cyclone and weather. Bond told Hort News that they are hearing about a few examples of vine stress and fruit drop, mainly in the Tairāwhiti region. He says this region initially didn’t appear to be badly affected but now vine stress is starting to show. He says some orchards in Hawke’s Bay have a long road to recovery and there are also problems at some orchards in Coromandel. “But in most other growing regions things

NZKGI boss Colin Bond believes kiwifruit growers have reason to be optimistic about the future of their industry

are looking really positive,” he says. “For most growers there is a very good crop hanging and we have had a very positive growing season, relative to the last few years. We are cautiously optimistic that we are going to have great season ahead.” However, Bond says they won’t know exactly

what the crop is like until it is finally picked. Having said that, he’s hopeful they can get back to the 180 million trays that the industry produced in 2021. In terms of payments to growers for last season’s crop, Bond says these will be low and the expectation is that a high number of grow-

ers will only break even for the 2023 season. He says Zespri did a great job selling the fruit at good prices, but in the end it was the lack of fruit that could be picked from orchards which determined returns. Bond thinks the last two years have been some of the most challenging on record, but while these

were particularly bad years, there have been good times. He says post PSA were some of the best years on record. Bond told Hort News growers have reason to be optimistic about the future of their industry. He believes there are practical things that growers can do to mitigate the effects of climate change. “I think weather is at the foremost of growers minds and we see more of them making active decisions about what they do to protect themselves from adverse weather,” he explains. “Such things as frost protection, irrigation, hail netting and shelter belts for wind. These are practical steps that growers can take.” Bond says more growers are talking about diversification, including growing in multiple areas. “There are more conversations about people owning shares in their packhouse or Zespri and some are thinking about having ventures outside kiwifruit as well.”

PRAISE FOR DEPARTING ZESPRI BOSS BOND HAS paid tribute to the contribution that departing Zespri CEO Dan Mathieson has made to the kiwifruit industry. Mathieson recently announced that he’s taking up a new position as president of Driscoll’s – a huge Californian-based company that produces a range of berries. In 2017, it controlled roughly one third of the $6 billion berry market in the USA. Driscoll’s is a fourth-generation family business set up in the late 1980 by the Reiter and Driscoll families. The company also has a subsidiary called the Fresh Berry Company based in Hawke’s Bay which was set up in 2016. Mathieson has been at Zespri for 21 years, almost seven of those as CEO. He will remain at Zespri to oversee the 2024 harvest and start of the sales season and until a new CEO is appointed Bond says Mathieson has led the industry through a strong growth period as well as the last two challenging years. “He’s always had growers’ best interests in mind and has worked very hard for the industry and can take a lot of credit for the strong position it is in now as one of the best global fruit brands in the world.”

NEW HORT LEADERSHIP COURSE A NEW formal leadership course for the horticulture sector is under design. The horticultural sector representatives are working with Muka Tangata, the Workforce Development Council for the food and fibre sector, to plan a new formal leadership course for emerging leaders. It is being developed to replace an existing informal course that has been delivered in the horticultural sector over the last two years. “We are responding directly to requests from industry, mainly from the horticulture sector but also from our engagement with other indus-

tries in the food and fibre sector, for a new leadership micro credential that better meets the current needs of the sector,” says Muka Tangata chief executive Jeremy Baker. “We see the benefit in designing the micro credential so that it can be picked up and used throughout industries in the food and fibre sector.” General manager engagement at Horticulture New Zealand, Kate Longman, says the new micro-credential will provide a critical link into the education system ensuring its ongoing provision and improved accessibility. “Currently, the horticulture sector

relies on AGMARDT and the Fruitgrowers Charitable Trust to subsidise the cost of the existing informal emerging leaders’ course. Our sector cannot rely on this funding indefinitely and needs to connect the course to the New Zealand education system,” she explains. “Muka Tangata has brought users and providers together to co-design an award to replace the existing informal course. When it is listed on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework, it will become a formal award that can be funded through the Tertiary Education Commission.”

The course is targeted at supervisors who lead large seasonal teams through the busy periods experienced in horticulture production such as thinning, pruning, harvesting and packing. Curriculum manager for the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) Pam Wood, who is part of the working group, says the new leadership micro-credential will meet changing industry needs. “The existing NMIT micro credential course was established during early Covid, at a time when a lot of people who had been in leadership roles in impacted sectors such as hos-

pitality and tourism, were moving into the primary industry. So, they needed training in that new context.” She says the sector now has different training needs. “This includes those people who gained residency in New Zealand with the 2021 residency visa and may be trained in leadership in other countries but who now need the New Zealand context. We also have an aging primary industries workforce with many people less able to do the more physical work, but who will make great team leaders.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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HORTNEWS

FEBRUARY 2024

New Minister’s hort focus Peter Burke peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE NEW Minister of Horticulture, Nicola Grigg, says the reason that she came into Parliament was because of her interest in and commitment to agriculture. She told Hort News that she felt that the voice of the rural sector wasn’t strong enough in Parliament – especially the voice of woman. Grigg says she was excited when she got a call from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to ask her to take on the portfolios of Horticulture and also Associate Trade. “I came into Parliament with Christopher Luxon in 2020, we were the class of five after the big red wave that swept the country,” she explains. “He and I have developed a great friendship over the last three

Nicola Grigg says she was excited when she got a call from Christopher Luxon asking her to take on the portfolios of Horticulture and also Associate Trade.

Although Grigg’s only been in the job for a few months, she’s already been up to Hawke’s Bay to view the recovery operation. She’s met with key growers and people in the hort sector and has been told of the challenges people are facing in that

years in opposition. “He obviously took up my hint about agriculture about a year or so ago when he assigned me about five rural portfolios. I thought that was my opportunity to dig in and start working really hard and to prove myself,” she says.

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region. Grigg says these includes access to capital, water and changes to the regulatory environment as well as issues around the RSE scheme. “I wasn’t so much surprised at the damage in Hawke’s Bay, but I was very impressed with the way people are cleaning

up the damage and getting their orchards back into production.” Grigg says, as soon as she’s back from maternity leave, she wants to get up to Northland, which she says is particularly exposed to adverse weather events. She’s been there in the past

and visited orchards and packhouses but wants to see it now that she is the Minister of Horticulture. The other portfolio that Grigg holds is that of Associate Minister for Trade – a portfolio she says goes hand in hand with her role as Minister of Horticulture. “Once I am back from maternity leave and can travel again, I plan to work with MPI and MFAT identifying where there are blockages to trade in the market and how we can fix these and also to look at new market opportunities – especially around the Southeast Asia Pacific region.” Grigg says one of her concerns is the consenting process with regional councils, which she says is stymieing everyone. She’s been ‘banging on’ about the issue for about three years and recently wrote to the Chris Bishop,

the Minister for the RMA and Infrastructure, to outline her concerns. “About two years ago, the regional councils bandied together and wrote to the previous government and told them they needed $2 billion over the next 10 years to clean up the rivers,” Grigg told Hort News. “That was declined, and I do understand that is huge chunk of money to ask for, but the alternative is a global consent regime that allows landowners who are adjacent to waterways to manage the river to meet their needs at their own expense.” Grigg says this would give them a level of selfdetermination and allow them to protect their own assets and infrastructure, whereas in the past they haven’t been able to do that. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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HORTNEWS

FEBRUARY 2024

Hawke’s Bay bouncing back from Cyclone Gabrielle Despite the terrible ravages of Cyclone Gabrielle and other adverse weather events, the 2024 apple crop in Hawke's Bay is set to one of the best crops the region has seen for a number of years. Peter Burke reports. THE LATEST word from Apples and Pears NZ is that 2024’s crop will be 21.2 million boxes, known in the industry as tray carton equivalents, or 382,000 metric tonnes. That’s up 12% on 2022 and up significantly on 2023, which saw 30% of the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti crop wiped out in a matter of hours by Cyclone Gabrielle. NZ Apples and Pears market access manager Danielle Adsett says the growing conditions in spring and summer have been near perfect. She says the recent warm few weeks and a bit of rain has helped and made for good crop loads and clean fruit. dsett reckons that little bit of rain would have raised soil moisture levels and prevented some of the trees that were under stress from drying out. “This is much better than we expected,” she says. Adsett puts the good news about the 2024 crop down to a number of factors, including the good weather, but also the action taken by growers after Cyclone Gabrielle. She says some orchardists sprayed their surviving trees

with a plant stimulant called phos acid, which appeared to revive some of the trees that many had predicted would die or produce a poor crop. In Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti it was estimated that about 2000 hectares of apples would have been at risk, but many of these have lived on and have produced good crops. Adsett told Hort News that, following Cyclone Gabrielle, orchardists have been fine tuning their orchards. he says this is complex because they not only have to look at a block in its entirety, but also individual areas, because some parts may be more damaged than others and they have to target these areas. “In the past, growers were dealing with an homogenous orchard, but today there is no such thing as an homogenous orchard,” she explains. “Nothing is down to luck and growers are hardworking and masters of their own destinies.” Adsett says despite the news about a good crop this season, it’s still tough out there for all orchardists – be they large or small operators. She says

NZ Apples and Pears market access manager Danielle Adsett says the growing conditions in spring and summer have been near perfect.

there are a number of things at play, but the main one is the huge amount of income lost last season, coupled with the loss of trees – some of them new plantings – plus the rising cost of production and the ongoing impact of Covid-19. She says, prior to Gabrielle, the apple industry in Hawke’s Bay was absolutely booming and if there are some good years in the future the sector will bounce back. “But for some, it will be years and others may choose to simply exit the industry.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Some growers have planted vegetable crops like squash to improve the fertility of the soil, with a view to planting new apple trees in the future.

A HEAVY COST! DANIELLE ADSETT says Hawke’s Bay lost 610 hectares of apple trees out of a total of 6500 hectares. She told Hort News that this is a huge loss of production and it will take a few years to get back to pre-Gabrielle days. But she adds that the 610ha figure may be an under representation of what has actually happened. This figure is based on blocks totally destroyed, and Adsett says this doesn’t take account of blocks that were partially destroyed. She explains that

some trees in such blocks may be pulled out or it’s possible that in the end orchardists may decide to pull out all the apple trees and start again. According to Adsett, not all the 610 hectares of land on which apple trees were planted then wiped out by Cyclone Gabrielle will be lost forever. She says there are some areas such as Esk Valley where it’s unlikely trees will be planted again, but other badly damaged orchards will likely be re-planted as the soil is still fertile.

Driving around the region there are signs of orchardists trying to get their damaged land back into operation. Some, for example, have planted vegetable crops to improve the fertility of the soil, with a view to planting new apple trees in the future. But behind some of the shelter belts, the devastation of a year ago is still evident, with uninhabitable houses, piles of wood and other debris being cleaned up by diggers. There are also signs of some apple trees trying their best to

produce a crop but not really succeeding, and they look stressed so may need replacing. “There have been a lot of new plantings in Hawke’s Bay and while some of these were lost in the cyclone, there is the hope that new plantings will come on stream in the future, but this will require considerable investment,” she says. Adsett says Cyclone Gabrielle cost the region in the order of $200 million in terms of lost income and says it’s too early to say how much the 2024 crop will

redress that figure. On the positive side, a packhouse destroyed by the cyclone has been rebuilt and will be open for business for this season. As far as growers are concerned, Adsett believes there is an air of optimism, due to the better-than-expected crop of apples that is now on the trees. She says that growers are positive about the markets that are buying New Zealand apples, including those new apple varieties which are proving very popular with consumers.

HORTNEWS

FEBRUARY 2024

Pollution into fertiliser! Mark Daniel

WHILE THE new government is sure to “tinker” with the previous administration’s emissions policy, a recent visit to New Zealand by a group of ten UK-based technology companies, highlighted where things might be heading. Lincoln-based – the one in the UK – Crop Intellect certainly got ears twitching, by claiming its technology lets crops turn pollution into fertiliser. This is achieved by using a new technology that captures air pollution and uses sunlight to convert it into nitrate on the leaf surface of a crop. Called R-Leaf, a process known as photocatalysis breaks down nitrous oxide and turns it into an essential crop nutrient. This offers the potential to reduce farm emissions and ultimately,

Photocatalysis breaks down nitrous oxide and turns it into an essential crop nutrient.

the industry’s reliance on synthetic nitrogen. Against a background of rollercoaster fertiliser markets and environmental concerns, with the promise of more volatility still to come in the case of the former. The technology is being promoted as a development that will allow farmers to make better use of nitrogen fertiliser, while reducing the

greenhouse gas emissions associated with its use. Classed as a fertiliser, R-Leaf is based on titanium dioxide and comes in a liquid formulation that also contains manganese, molybdenum and zinc. It can be applied through a standard farm sprayer to crop foliage, either on its own or as part of a tank mix. Once applied, it uses sunlight

to convert atmospheric nitrous oxide into nitrate, which the company says helps to provide the plant with a constant supply of the nutrient. The patented photocatalyst technology contained in R-Leaf has been designed to work under normal daylight conditions, rather than needing high intensity light usually associated with such

chemical reactions, This allows it to react with nitrous oxide in field conditions, breaking the pollutant down in to nitrate, carbon dioxide and water – all of which are required by the plant. Jeremy Hitcham, commercial manager at Crop Intellect, says the R-Leaf is a significant development for the industry’s net-zero ambitions, not

HORTNEWS Introducing Hort News, a national publication serving the needs of our booming horticulture sector. Distributed with the leading national farming publication Rural News, Hort News will be delivered to all key horticulture regions nationwide. It is the complete solution for readers and advertisers, covering every aspect of the wider horticulture industry – news, agribusiness, management, markets, machinery and technology.

provide additional yields. Currently being applied to many thousands of hectares, R-Leaf currently costs £25/litre, with split applications of 2 litres/ha being recommended for cereals crops. Applications are made at growth stage T1 and T2, meaning a total cost of £50/ha. The second application is needed because R-Leaf doesn’t move once it has been applied, so a growing plant producing new leaves benefits from the follow-up as older, treated leaves become shaded. The product is included in Tesco’s largescale commercial trial on nitrogen fertiliser use. R-Leaf is one of eight alternative fertiliser products being tested by the supermarket, with early recognition in the form of an Agri T-Jam Award for Innovation.

only helping to improve nutrient use efficiency on farms. “It also has a role in reducing air pollution. In the future, its use should allow carbon credits to be produced, so that they can be monetised if required.” R-Leaf’s potential to contribute towards reducing climate change has been validated at 5.4t/ha of carbon dioxide equivalent when used at a rate of 2 litres/ha, with verification coming from Climate Impact Forecast tool. Hitcham suggests there are two ways in which R-Leaf can be used on-farm. The first to reduce bagged nitrogen usage by 25% and let R-Leaf provide the rest, so that yields are maintained. The second is to maintain normal farm practice and apply the same amount of nitrogen, with R-Leaf being used to

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HORTNEWS NOVEMB ER 2021 , ISSUE

Bumper cherry cro p predicted – Page 7

Sweet res ult for ho rt! 19

WWW.HO RTNEWS .CO.NZ

ISSN 2624ISSN 2624- 3490 (print) 3504 (onlin e)

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that quota attracts an told Hort 8% tariff,” SOME HO News. he with RTICULTUR Covid. “Tra Under the also brac de and exp proposed ing for fina E farmers are on efits a dive orting ben FTA, the ncial relie pears will the propos rse range - onion tariff bus f from be remove of New Zea ed free inesses,” with the tari d on day trad between land the sector is extremely he says. one, ff on apples New Zealand e agreement grateful for hard wor “Without thre redu k of New e years and the Uni Kingdom. cing over New Zealand clear trad Zealand’s tiators and ted ments, imp ing arrange onion indu negodiplomats “So , rove there Apple, pea $200 mill stry was wor who have d market ion back reduced tari r and onio worked th access and tirelessly to conclud and we ben is some financial to the grow among tho n growers ffs, of which relie e this agre it efit is extreme f to exp from a mor er, 85% “The New se set to are regu came from ly difficult ort from the e welcom benefit alth Zealand team ement. latory env not as big exports. while Api ing to join bott ironment,” major mea ough MeanZoom calls om of culture New has had to larger eco t and dair says Pollard. Onion grow ers. with their Zealand says deal will be nomies like the world at extr y exporters cou Kin will nter eme a great outc the gdom. the United parts indu from day face zero ly inconve ome for the NZ Apples one. The tariff nient time stry and will night, for and Pears tari bee s “Of of ff exa land the ness on New Zea immediate improve com mple.” Alan Pollard chief exec onions is in one of benefit to - sector petitiveutiv The conclus says at the currently their largest the onion is the exp moment the e Zealand currentl 8%. New is a $100 ion of this kets. ectation of export mar will benefit million mar UK wor y exports agreement tariffs bein ket for grow $11 million eliminated on onio th of onio consistently g commun onion growers and The UK con ns, once the ns to the ers, dom ranking in ment com regional ities, sistently United Kin agreethree. es into forc annually. the top two of top thre ranks as gterbury. Oni from Pukekohe to e.” or one e export The New Can- Zea ons are an Onions NZ markets “We have Zea land imp tion land for chie orta hon crop for man announced a New f executi Governmen nt rotaey and is Kuperus says and Decemb quota between Aug the details y vegetabl worth $70 lion ann t Having the FTA will ve James ciple” ust this uall e er where of milgrow an y. onions in “We have “in-prinNew Zealand ers. with ensure that country’s volume abo a rotation strong ties growers to UK custom onion exp -UK FTA ve to grow as trade allows last rota orts continu ers, with officials tory of exp as the wor a long hisneared com week such as lettu te between other crop e the dea ld comes orting high l after littl ces, potatoes pleting s produc to terms -quality hon which help e more than ts there. , carrots etc, of negotia ey However, s a year tions. Kup in-quota the current and diseases to control erus says tariff rate pests . the NZ of 16 per bee n a cent has significant In 2019, the barrier to Karin Kos trade,” says , chie New Zealand f executive of Apicult ure . nz

GETTING READY!

MANGAW EKA ASP ARAGUS Sam Rain manager ey overse es an 80 asparagus hectare in the cen tral North When Hor Island. t News visi ted the pro in late Sep perty tember, Rainey and were in the his staff final stag es of pre for the har paring vest. The pac being set khouse was up and at the sam first spe e time the ars of asp aragus wer to appear e starting . While the total size property of the is 80 hec tares, the just 65 hec y will pick tares this season – equates which to up to 250 tonnes See story . pages 4 and 5.

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