Running from June 1-15, growers can vote whether or not they support conducting a one season trial in the Sichuan Province that monitors the growing, procurement and marketing of 200,000 trays of fruit.
The fruit is grown from Zespri-bred vines planted without authorisation after they were illegally imported from New Zealand.
Estimates are that multiple small orchards are growing a combined area of about 5000ha of SunGold fruit, and by next season the canopy hectare area will exceed the 6000ha grown in NZ.
Growers here are forking out over $500,000 a hectare for a licence to grow the fruit this season.
An industry road show is also running during the voting duration to inform growers about the risks of proceeding, and not proceeding, with the trial programme.
This is Zespri’s second attempt to get the trial programme over the line after Kiwifruit NZ, the industry’s overseeing authority turned down Zespri’s initial application on the grounds the risks to NZ growers were too great.
The key risk areas identified were fruit quality, food safety and brand reputation.
China has long been a problematic area for Zespri in maintaining brand integrity, with multiple companies often mimicking the Zespri label on fruit and packaging.
The trial involves working closely with some Chinese growers to determine if SunGold fruit can be grown to Zespri standards and accepted by consumers with no negative impacts upon the Zespri brand.
Zespri chief executive Dan Mathieson said he would be joining the roadshow and was anticipating growers would have multiple questions about the proposed trial.
“We have been doing the best job we can. I think growers see it for what it is, this is a first step to help protect and hold our position in China as a premium brand. Growers want us to bring back more information and they rightly have some concerns,” Mathieson said.
Zespri staff have acknowledged the risks accompanying the trial, but are also cognisant about the risk of leaving the SunGold variety fruit to grow unchecked in subsistence orchards in the province.
Zespri sustainability officer Carol Ward told Farmers Weekly there was also a risk of doing nothing that needed to be considered alongside the trial’s risks.
Leaving over 4000ha of unlicenced crop growing without authority and oversight was a risk, with its release onto the market having significant implications, both on Zespri’s premium position and fruit volumes.
The Chinese grown fruit quality is regarded as highly variable and by next year more SunGold is expected to be grown in Sichuan Province than in all NZ.
NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated is taking a neutral stance with the vote, providing growers with the information needed to make their own conclusions about the trial’s future.
