YOUR INDUSTRY
Summerfruit update By Richard Palmer : Summerfruit NZ Interim Chief Executive
Whilst the summerfruit industry largely escaped the challenges of the Covid-19 lockdown and global market disruption, the season ahead looks much tougher, with Covid-19 continuing to loom large on the global stage. Seasonal labour, airfreight capacity and the effect on markets are all uncertain for summerfruit and other sectors. Personally, the question of reuniting our family in Jakarta has shaped the timeframes for thinking about the Covid-19 recovery: In March we thought maybe July; last week I thought maybe December; now it seems unlikely before mid-2021. When Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said in mid-July that Qantas was grounding all international flights (except to New Zealand) until mid-next year, it reinforced the thinking that this is not ending in the near-term. He went on to say he thought maybe 50% of international flights might be reinstated by mid-2022, so the effects from Covid-19 keep pushing further and further out.
He went on to say he thought maybe 50% of international flights might be reinstated by mid-2022, so the effects from Covid-19 keep pushing further and further out Before the next season there have been matters for us to assist with as part of the broader horticulture industry, none more pressing than getting Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers home to their families. Their struggles resonate with me, so when the Vanuatu Government offered 890 repatriation seats in late June, it was crucial that we made the most of the opportunity. With less than a week to prepare, and the flight options changing only three days out, it was a huge effort on the part of the New Zealand Government, Vanuatu High Commission and the horticulture industry to make it happen. Ultimately 1,044 people made it home courtesy of the Royal NZ Air Force. Subsequently other repatriations are also occurring.
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The ORCHARDIST : AUGUST 2020
Seasonal labour
What’s the future? Airfreight capacity
Effect on markets
The Covid-19 lockdown period brought the horticulture industry organisations together to focus on managing the issues with government, exemplified by the work done to ensure essential food production continued during lockdown. The development of the Horticulture Post-Covid Recovery Strategy, again a partnership between government agencies and industry organisations, demonstrated our ability to come together to focus on critical, common issues. Executing that strategy will take a lot of work from across the industry and it also provides a platform for sectors and regions to launch their own work to play their part in New Zealand’s export-led recovery. Planning for managing the crucial sectoral issues for the 2021 summerfruit season is well underway. As always, weather and other conditions will drive the ultimate outcome, but with recent plantings this season could herald a record cherry crop. Already the Summerfruit NZ Board Labour sub-committee has met several times and is developing options to address the requirement for nearly 7,000 seasonal workers for the harvest across New Zealand. This group has local and national government representatives as well as growers, and already we’re firming up some ideas. This includes ensuring we have a
