Tuesday, 14 February 2023 10:25

Damper on NZ onion exports?

Written by  Glenys Christian
Recent flooding in the Pukekohe area has added to pressures to get early onion export shipments away on time. Recent flooding in the Pukekohe area has added to pressures to get early onion export shipments away on time.

The recent wet weather in the Pukekohe area has added to pressures to get early onion export shipments away on time.

"We have a finite window for Europe which makes up 40% of exports so that's quite important," James Kuperus, chief executive of Onions New Zealand, told Hort News.

The first shipment was able to be sent in the first week of February with the focus now shifting to supplying the Spanish market.

"It will be tight but not impossible."

While Hawke's Bay has had a difficult season, crops grown in the Manawatu and Canterbury were looking good for the peak of the export season which runs until May, counter to European production.

"It's all about managing the quality and expectations of what will be coming out of Pukekohe."

It was too early to tell what the total damage to crops in the area was. Some of the flooding had been superficial but had added to quality concerns in what had already been a very wet season.

Kuperus says growers were aware of which of their onion blocks might be of lesser quality so woud be working with exporters to send class two products to other export markets, which didn't pay a premium for top quality, or for local processing.

The final returns for the season wouldn't be known until September. In recent years, onion exports have sat around a value of $150 million annually with the crop, grown on over 2,000 hectares, mainly exported to Europe and Indonesia.

More like this

Hort exporters eye Indian market

Exporters need to understand that India should not be seen as just one country to export to, rather a country of many unique states and regions.

No more tears for onion exporters

Onion exports to the lucrative Indonesian market are resuming after officials negotiated an end to costly pre-export methyl bromide fumigation.

An industry that 'knows its onions'

Some smart planning by NZ’s onion growers has enabled them to quickly cash in on the Free Trade Agreement between New Zealand and the European Union which came into effect on May 1.

Hort's FTA windfall

NZ onion growers are getting an extra $3 million this season for exports to the European Union, thanks to the early ratification of a free trade agreement (FTA).

Tears of joy for onions

Onion growers will be saving $6.5 million on tariffs once the free trade agreement (FTA) with its number one market – the European Union – is ratified next year.

Featured

Big return on a small investment

Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.

Editorial: Sensible move

OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.

National

NZ growers lead freshwater compliance

Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says that commercial fruit and vegetable growers are getting ahead of freshwater farm plan regulations through…

Machinery & Products

Yamaha acquires Robotics Plus

New Zealand based company Robotics Plus, a specialist in agricultural automation, has announced an agreement for it to be acquired…

Ecorobotix announces NZ dealership

Swiss-based Ecorobotix has announced its entry into the New Zealand market through a strategic partnership with Canterbury-based New Zealand Tractors.

Sorting unwashed potatoes made easy

Downs, a leader in potato reception, automated sorting, and storage, has introduced its new high-throughput optical sorter for unwashed potatoes…

Jumbo X saves time and money

A winner of a prestigious ‘Technical Innovations 2024’ award by FederUnacoma at the EIMA show in Italy, the Maschio Jumbo…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Overbearing?

OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…

Foot-in-mouth

OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter