Horticulture exports grow despite COVID handbrake
Horticulture exports have continued to climb despite the challenges created by the global COVID-19 pandemic. New Zealand’s horticulture exports increased 25 percent from 2018 to 2020; by 30th June 2020, horticulture exports were worth $4.521 billion, up $903 million from 2018. The pandemic affected trade from early 2020, with export figures up 7 percent year on year. This increase was expected to be significantly higher had there not been trade disruption from March 2020.
groceries and wanted to know more about where their food comes from. The flipside for growers and exporters has been securing reliable access to essential resources like water, skilled and reliable personnel, logistics, capital and infrastructure. There has also been pressure on global supply chains with disrupted trade flows and consumption patterns and a challenge to keep up with the speed of change, whether that be on issues of sustainability, traceability or changing customer/ consumer requirements.
COVID-19 brought a surge in people wanting to eat healthy, locally produced food. They were shopping more for
As of 30th June 2020, kiwifruit and apples were our dominant horticultural crops, accounting for 75 percent of
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the total export value in 2020. Kiwifruit accounts for over $2.5 billion (56 percent) of the value of horticulture exports. ‘Horticulture exports’ refers to food and some juice products. Wine is classified as a ‘beverage’ and subject to different export market requirements. Based on 2020 values, onions, potatoes and avocados are ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively as the most valuable horticulture exports. Onions increased 59 percent between 2018 and 2020, surpassing potatoes and avocados. Potato exports decreased 11 percent, while avocados increased 14.6 percent in 2020. The EU remains New Zealand’s most
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