Zespri sets out plan to improve fruit quality 

The plan will focus on taste, nutritious value and delivering consistent quality to consumers worldwide. Bruce Cameron, Zespri chairman, admitted that quality issues faced last year by the industry could become a major problem. 

According to Carol Ward, chief grower at Zespri, the firm had considered planting 700 new hectares of SunGolf kiwifruit. But this plan was reduced to 350ha this season due to supply chain issues, the ongoing impact of Covid, and labour shortages, as well as adverse weather conditions. 

Zespri projects that it will increase volumes by 35% between the 2022 season and 2027 across all five of the categories of kiwifruit it currently markets. Production of Zespri RubyRed Kiwifruit will commence in 2025.