Newspaper Article 1980 – $6.7-million in payouts – Bonanza follows record fruit harvest

$6.7-million in payouts

Bonanza follows record fruit harvest

Hawke’s Bay apple and pear growers’ bank accounts are being swelled by record profits following a record season.

The Apple and Pear Marketing Board is in the process of paying to growers about $4.3-million in end-of-season profit payouts compared with $2.09-million last year.

On top of this, about $2.4-million has been paid following a 25 per cent increase in September in the basic price for apples made retrospective to the start of the season.

The board’s finance manager, Mr Ian Fowler, said the profit payout alone was the largest ever made to Hawke’s Bay.

He said it followed a record intake of fruit from Hawke’s Bay growers and excellent prices received for fruit on overseas markets.

Growers have received one payment for the profit payout with the remainder being made in two payments due next month and in February.

The increase in the basic price followed representations by the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation for a 30 per cent increase after years of being held to 10 per cent annual increases.

The extra money has led to growers remarking quite freely that there are “plenty of happy growers about.”

Adding to their sense of well-being is the way this season’s crop is shaping up for another bumper harvest.

This is unusual, as apples are normally biennial bearers giving a heavy crop followed by a light crop.

Blossoming and fruit set this spring have been so heavy that some growers believe that Granny Smith crops on young trees, even after the natural fruit drop, will be too heavy for the trees.

The higher prices and heavier crops have brought a welcome turnaround for growers. Four years ago their industry was in debt to the government and growers’ incomes gave them little reason to smile – as they can now.