New Zealand apple growers say Turners & Growers’ plan to compensate them for losses incurred due to the Jazz apple variety is not enough, according to local newspaper The Nelson Mail.

Turners & Growers will pay growers an extra $1 per tray in this season’s final payment due on Nov. 25.  Managing director Jeff Wesley has said the payment shows his company’s commitment to the variety.

Some growers said their losses are $5 per tray, a figure echoed by Pipfruit NZ Chairman Ian Palmer, according to the report. Palmer said the growers needed to make $25 per tray, but made only $20 this season.

The Jazz apple is one of the most expensive, but the growers were not seeing the benefits. About 1.5 million cartons were exported this season.

Palmer added that other varieties, such as Braeburn, are suffering as well, and that the industry as a whole would likely post a loss for the fourth time in six seasons, according to the report.

The high exchange rate relative to the weak U.S. dollar has hurt exporters in New Zealand and elsewhere.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com