New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has given his backing to Zespri's status as the single point of entry for the country's kiwifruit exports, although he insisted that the decision to endorse the regulated system was ultimately a choice for growers.
Speaking at Zespri's international headquarters in Mount Maunganui, in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island, Mr Key said he welcomed the company's decision to commercially release three new varieties of kiwifruit and underlined his government's support for the single-desk export model.
Asked whether or not he could give the same assurance on the single point of entry system as his Trade and Agriculture Ministers, his response was clear.
'Absolutely. The simple bottom line is we like the model, we think it works. In the end we think the industry is owned by what growers want to do. We can look to other industries where there isn't a single marketing agency or single desk seller, and we don’t see success in those industries.'
However, Mr Key added: 'In the end, if the growers all turn around and say we don't want the Zespri model anymore, that's in their hands. I’m not going to stop them and I'm sure as hell not going to drive them to it. I can’t see why they’d want to change.'
No comments yet