According to New Zealand Herald, Zespri (New Zealand) achieved a record performance in 2021/22, with total global fruit sales revenue exceeding NZD 4 billion (equivalent to RMB 17.5 billion) for the first time, up 12% year-on-year.
Even with many uncertainties such as the epidemic and supply chain, New Zealand kiwifruit (kiwifruit) still achieved a pretty good result in terms of revenue and the industry remained strong.
Kiwifruit from New Zealand has been popular around the world since the early 1900s. The largest kiwifruit producer in New Zealand, Tips, is known as the "Kiwifruit Capital of the World". With its warm climate and fertile soil, it is home to 70% of New Zealand's kiwifruit.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, many local farmers could easily become millionaires by planting just two or three hectares of kiwifruit per family, making Tipki the richest town in New Zealand.
What are the experiences of Tipki Kiwifruit Town that can be used as a reference for other regions to build special towns and industrial powerhouses?
In addition to the integration of the three industries, what else has the kiwifruit town done? And how did it make the regional common brand of agricultural products bigger and stronger to become world famous?
How hot is Te Puke?
Te Puke is located in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island, near the tourist destination of Tauranga and the dormant volcano Mount Manganui, with a population of about 6,800.
It used to be mainly agricultural and horticultural, but now it is a famous tourist town; it grows citrus, orange, and avocado fruits, but is most famous for its kiwifruit, which can be seen in large orchards extending from the town center, and there is no shortage of kiwifruit elements in the town.
As the "Kiwifruit Capital of the World", a new New Zealand "gold rush" is being created in Tipki - the purchase of kiwifruit orchards. According to Stan Robb, a local real estate agent, the top SunGold kiwifruit orchard in Tipki set a new record for a jaw-dropping deal in 2022 - NZ$2 million per hectare (over $8 million per hectare)!
But he also mentioned that the orchards that sell for the highest prices are usually good orchards with extremely high quality, with returns of well over 20% per year after all costs (including management costs) are deducted.
At present, the kiwifruit industry chain at Tipki is complete, covering three major types of industries, from cultivation to processing to tourism, and the three industries are interlinked and mutually dependent on each other for comprehensive development.
