The chief executive of New Zealand's largest apple exporter, ENZA, says the industry cannot sit on its laurels and needs to improve the quality of apples being exported.
ENZA has significantly increased the returns to hard-pressed growers this year with the average payout likely to be over $21 a carton.
That compares with less than $14 last year for royal gala and under $10 for braeburn, which together make up almost 80% of exports.
But CEO Kevin Bell says New Zealand can't expect to continue getting the premium prices it has been achieving without doing more to improve the quality.
Advertisement
