Ready Your Retail Space For New Zealand’s Annual Persimmon Crop

Steady supplies of vibrant orange persimmons are heading to stores around the country as May signals the beginning of the season for this unusual exotic fruit.

Available for just a short time, retailers are encouraged to make the most of persimmons from now until late July.

Ian Turk, Manager of the New Zealand Persimmon Industry Council, says progress is on track for the season.

“Persimmon growing areas are across the top half of the North Island, which has meant that our growers have felt the full force of the cyclones (Hale and Gabrielle) which hit in early 2023,” he says.

“Fortunately, our orchards have largely escaped structural or flooding damage. However, the spring and early summer were very windy and wet, for the second year in a row, and we are expecting our total export crop to be lower this year as a result of that earlier weather.”

While the warm conditions experienced this year favour the fruit which originated in China, the rain and wind driven by the La Niña weather pattern have presented growers with significant challenges.

“Stressed trees will drop fruit, wet weather causes humidity marking on the fruit, and of course fruit that is blown around in the tree will be marked from rubbing against branches or other fruit,” says Turk.

“Despite this, the fruit quality and taste this season has not been affected. Even if there is some fruit in the market that does look a bit marked, it is sure to still be the great honey-like taste that New Zealanders are familiar with,” he says.

“As the fruit has started to ripen, it’s been pleasing to see that initial taste tests suggest that we will have plenty of large juicy, and great tasting persimmons this year.”

In addition to supplying fresh persimmons to local retailers, New Zealand’s 2023 crop will be exported to eager markets around the world.

“This year the industry expects to be exporting around 1000 tonnes of fresh persimmons to consumers who are waiting for them in Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, Vietnam, the United States and China,” says Turk.

“The export season will start in April and run through into July. In New Zealand, peak availability for our retailers should in May with slightly lower volumes in June and July. We’re encouraging local markets to make the most of the fruit while they can,” he says.

Commercial persimmon growing operations in New Zealand were initially established to supply the international market.

“Persimmons are a well-known product overseas, particularly in Asian markets. Our domestic supply chains developed more slowly to begin with, but in recent years the popularity of the fruit has increased rapidly,” says Turk.

“Some shoppers still recall the older variety of astringent persimmons that had to be just about falling apart and jelly-like before tannin levels dropped and the fruit was ready to eat. But the modern varieties, mainly Fuyu, are non-astringent and can be eaten crisp just like an apple,” he says.

“Most New Zealand persimmons will be eaten as fresh fruit, but overseas dried persimmons are a real delicacy. Kiwis also becoming much more adventurous with using persimmons in all sorts of exciting new dishes. I’d encourage retailers to profile this season’s persimmons alongside suitable recipe suggestions – the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust website is a great place to start.” n

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