Nueva Zelanda: Estiman Crecimiento del 3% en producción de manzanas

Total apple production is now forecast at 593,000 MT, 2.8 percent greater than 2018/2019, but just under one percent less than the USDA official number. The increase over 2018/2019 is primarily the result of expanded harvested area and a good growing season. The strong growing season, especially the dry warm period leading up to harvest, has ensured great fruit color this year and the fruit is generally larger in size. The harvest will be completed by mid-May 2020.

Despite these positive factors, Covid-19 impacts have slightly reduced prospects for an even larger rise in production. New Zealand Apples & Pears Inc (NZAPI) reported that while the horticulture sector was considered essential to keep running during the Covid-19 response nationwide lockdown (March 27 to April 29), there were strict requirements for social distancing. This meant that the capacity in the pack sheds has been constrained and pack shed owners and managers had to re-engineer pack sheds to enable people to keep these distances. NZAPI went on to report that throughput at individual pack sheds was down by at least five percent, and at the extreme end by 50 percent. A common throughput reduction across the industry is expected to have been about 20 percent. This slower throughput in April meant harvest progression was interrupted at times, resulting in reports that some growers of lower value apples, especially Braeburn, may have elected to leave some unharvested. Since April 29, however, the social distancing rules have been relaxed from two meters down to one meter, which is allowing most pack sheds to significantly improve throughput.

Fuente: USDA/May 21, 2020

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