The outlook for the 2022/23 apple season in New Zealand is much more optimistic with the opening of international borders following COVID-19 restrictions. While the last two apple harvests were severely impacted by the lack of labor, the return of overseas workers under the Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is expected to help allow a recovery in production, with the forecast up 12 percent from the previous year’s estimated crop.
Exports are also expected to rise from the lowest level in seven years. In addition to the larger crop, an improvement in logistics and shipping could also support exports, although export volumes are still expected to remain below the record export levels reached in the years prior to COVID-19. Expansion in apple area has largely stagnated, however with a greater emphasis from growers on profitability, older less valuable varieties have continued to be replaced with newer varieties more in demand from export markets.