NEW ZEALAND

Feedback from the Trade on Their Plans and Interest in the USA Pear Season:

The season is now a wrap for USA Pears in New Zealand. One retailer is selling through their final volumes of Green Anjou, Red Anjou and Bosc. While NZ total volume was down, NZ importers still managed to bring in fruit and have small volumes of USA Pears available during November, December and January.

Expectations for Any Freight or Logistics Challenges:

None at this time.

Opportunities in Your Market for Specific Varieties, Sizes, and Grades:

None at this time.

Update on the Competition in the Market:

New Zealand new season pears - Sugar Pears/Belle de Jumet/Honeybelle - are now 100% distributed throughout the country and available at retail in abundance. A new Australian pear variety is being sold as a pre-pack - Silvana - which is a snack size green pear not seen in the NZ market before. There are small volumes of Australian Packham and Corella still available. Every retailer has an abundance of Asian Nashi and Ya pears available.

Political or Economic Issues Impacting Imports, Retail, or Consumer Behavior:

Economically, New Zealand remains in a recession environment and the economic climate is still tough.

Other Brief Comments:

None at this time.