The currently very trendy New Zealand’s locally grown persimmons are about to hit the markets. According to Ian Turk, manager of the New Zealand Persimmon Industry Council, local growing operations have gone from strength to strength as New Zealanders discover this great fruit.
“Initially persimmons were grown commercially for export markets, Japan in particular, but these days a much larger volume of fruit is sold domestically,” Ian told sunlive.co.nz. “In fact, we’re excited to have seen an increase of 20 percent in just two years in the New Zealand market.”
Whilst homegrown persimmons are enjoyed by Kiwis, they’re just as popular overseas. Around 12,500 tons, at a value of $10 million, are set to be exported to Australia, South-East Asia, Japan, the United States and China this year.
“We’ve had an excellent season this year and are recovering well from the impact of a tough 2020 season,” says Ian. “The combined issues of a Covid lockdown two weeks before harvest, lengthy drought conditions and air freight costs that quadrupled due to the pandemic meant some significant challenges. We’re heading into the 2021 season with greater confidence, not quite back to normal, but nearly there.