Zespri releases licenses to grow the fruit yearly. Growers will then bid for these. This year, 350 hectares for gold kiwifruit were up for grabs - half of what was offered last year. Zespri said the reduction is due to higher-than-expected yields on existing orchards and the need to maintain the balance between supply and demand to protect grower returns.
The median price of SunGold Kiwifruit license reached $801,000 per hectare up from $550,000 last year but the minimum price dropped down from $525,000 per hectare in 2021 to $451,950 this year.
Meanwhile 350 hectares of RubyRed kiwifruit licenses were also released - the median price was $147,000 per hectare up from almost $75,000 last year. The minimum price dropped from $58,000 in 2021 to $44,217 a hectare this year.
Both Zespri SunGold and RubyRed Kiwifruit licence pools were undersubscribed, with 324ha of SunGold and 280ha of RubyRed Kiwifruit license allocated in 2022. The company said it was going to review the licensing process.
Source: rnz.co.nz