New Zealanders ate over $1 billion of potatoes last year, Taiwan is consuming more than $44m worth of New Zealand cherries, and Royal Gala apples are our most popular apple export variety, comprising almost 22% of apple exports.
In 2024 New Zealand's fresh fruit and vegetable exports will reach $4.3 billion, an increase of 8% from 2023. These are just some of the key insights revealed in this year's Fresh Facts 2024 report produced by United Fresh which represents New Zealand's pan-produce sector. United Fresh General Manager Paula Dudley says Fresh Facts 2024 contains critical data and insights to enable New Zealand's fresh produce industry to thrive.
"As a key player in the fresh produce sector, we hold a collective responsibility to generate measurable, timely, intelligent, and accurate data. This data is vital to helping both our industry and its partners plan, foster, and grow domestic and export value chains efficiently."
The report contains detailed statistics for different fruit and vegetable sectors. It analyses volume, export markets, and value over the past five years and pinpoints emerging trends.
The industry's own reporting on sustainability has been measured for the first time, and concerns raised in Fresh Facts 2024 that not enough organizations understand the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Last year United Fresh produced guidelines for New Zealand's fresh produce businesses and organisations to start contributing towards achieving the 17 SDGs that have been adopted by the New Zealand government. An analysis of annual reports across the industry shows 84% mention sustainability but only 20% mention SDGs specifically and only 2% have adopted an SDG framework.
"This shows that while awareness of sustainability within the fresh produce industry is significant, there is still a lot of work to be done," Dudley says. "Fresh Facts 2024 serves as a valuable tool to unlock our industry's full potential. By leveraging reliable information, we can contribute significantly to our nation's economic growth. This data-driven approach also strengthens our ability to engage with the government in a professional, transparent, and factual manner, ensuring that we are prepared to address both opportunities and challenges."
To view the full report, click here.
For more information:
United Fresh
Tel: +64 9 480 5057
Email: [email protected]
www.unitedfresh.co.nz