Kiwifruit marketer reports strong start with European and North American markets performing well, though freight costs rise due to Middle East conflict
Zespri’s has today (18 June) released its indicative June OGR forecast, which the kiwifruit marketer said reflects a ”positive start” to the 2026/27 season.
The group’s chief executive officer Jason Te Brake said that, at a per tray level, returns for all categories are forecast to be similar to 2025/26.
“This reflects the strong demand, particularly in Europe and North America where we’ve started the season strongly,” he confirmed.
“We’re continuing to perform well in Japan and Korea, with steady sales in China where we’re seeing intense pricing pressure in the premium fruit category.
”Our in-market teams remain focused on maintaining strong sales rates to help maximise value as the season progresses,” Te Brake outlined.
The forecast also includes increases in freight costs relating to the Middle East conflict.
“We continue to work closely with our long-term shipping partners to monitor the situation with our shipping programme continuing to run to plan,” he continued.
“Fruit quality is also generally tracking well, but with a large crop to manage, maintaining quality remains a focus.”
Zespri said tht its corporate net profit after tax, including licence revenue, is forecast to be NZ$355mn-365mn, up from NZ$280mn last year.
