Chinese Taipei deal would deliver more to kiwifruit growers

Chinese Taipei trade deal would deliver more money to New Zealand kiwifruit growers

ZESPRI welcomes news that steps towards the negotiation of a closer economic partnership with Chinese Taipei will begin this year.

The New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Wellington have announced they will explore the feasibility of an economic cooperation agreement between New Zealand and Chinese Taipei.

Chinese Taipei is ZESPRI's seventh largest market by volume, earning around $70 million in export returns for the New Zealand kiwifruit industry last year.

ZESPRI's GM Grower and Government Relations Simon Limmer said Chinese Taipei was an increasingly important market, with the volume of ZESPRI(r) Kiwifruit exported to Chinese Taipei growing by 55 percent over the last five years.

"Given the increasing importance of Chinese Taipei as a market, reducing the more than $10 million in tariffs paid on New Zealand kiwifruit imports into Chinese Taipei in 2010 will return more money to the pockets of growers.

"This is great news and very timely. Growers will be under increasing pressure from both the Psa disease and the high New Zealand dollar in coming seasons, and anything that can be done to get more money back to them is welcome.

"ZESPRI will obviously do all that we can to assist the negotiators in their task and to obtain a positive outcome for kiwifruit growers," Mr Limmer said.

Mr Limmer said the work of successive Governments to secure Free Trade Agreements with key markets was critical to ensuring New Zealand exporters were competitive and returned as much value as possible to the country.

"It is estimated that tariffs cost each New Zealand kiwifruit grower $38,800 in 2010. This is significant lost income and the reason why ZESPRI is a strong supporter of the Government's efforts to secure Free Trade Agreements with key trading partners."

ENDS

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