New Zealand's kiwifruit grower representative organisation, New Zealand Kiwifruit growers Inc (NZKGI), is to review its funding system in a bid to better analyse how its annual funding is sourced.
NZKGI, which represents some 2,700 growers across the country, received around NZ$520,000 (€254,000) from dominant export group Zespri last season.
The decision to review the funding structure has been made in the face of calls from 'a minority of growers', NZKGI president Peter Ombler told The New Zealand Herald, with discussions set to take place over the next couple of months.
However, Mr Ombler added that there was little indication of demand for another funding system such as a grower levy.
Te Puke grower Tod Rutter told the publication that the current funding system was not good for a group created and paid to represent grower interests, and that he remained unimpressed with what he perceived as a 'cosy relationship' between NZKGI and Zespri.
Mr Rutter added that he felt the grower group's funding system should be restructured to make it fully independent or, failing that, he wanted called for the creation of a new growers' organisation.
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