1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,679 Speaker 1: You may have noticed at the supermarket there's this orange 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: juice around. Fresh orange juice that is juice here is 3 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: made of a mix of local and imported products, most 4 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: coming from Brazil, and they're dealing with a disease impacting 5 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: their yield. It's spared for anyone trying to buy citrus products, 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: but it's good for our local growers who's seen their 7 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: wholesale price almost double. Matt Carter is an orange grower 8 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: and a Citrus New Zealand board member met Good morning, morning, Ryan. 9 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: Thank you for being with me. I appreciate you being up, 10 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: being up so early for us. Tell us how is 11 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: this affecting you guys? 12 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 2: Sign Like you said, it's we get some juice concentrate 13 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 2: from all over the world, including Brazil, so it's actually 14 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 2: a global issue. So Brazil and Florida and a few 15 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 2: other countries are really being hammered by an insect and 16 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,639 Speaker 2: a disease called citrus screening, and that's just really impacting 17 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 2: the availability of juice grade fruit. Brazil used to supply 18 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 2: about seventy percent of the world's juicing fruit, so it's 19 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 2: just having a big impact around the world for those 20 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 2: countries where we used to import it to make up 21 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 2: our own local juice as well. 22 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: Has cyclone Gabrielle hitting the impact on our output. 23 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 2: It has a little bit. You know, a lot of 24 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 2: the juicing fruit does come from the Gisban region where 25 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 2: I am, and some of those blocks were badly affected. 26 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 2: We say, having a bit of a more normal spring 27 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 2: and a bit more of a normal summer last year, 28 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 2: and those blocks are starting to recover, which is pretty good. 29 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: How good is the shortage for your bottom line? 30 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 2: So those glowers that are growing juicing oranges, so that's 31 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 2: normally the Valencia orange, which we pick from around November 32 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 2: through to April May, so it's really a summer orange. 33 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 2: It's been really good for those So in the past 34 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 2: we used to pack some of that fruit and send 35 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 2: it off to the supermarkets and that used to get 36 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 2: a good price, and the juice grade fruit would be 37 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 2: worth forty to fifty cents he and over the last 38 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 2: couple of years that's steadily been climbing and as you said, 39 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 2: that's nearly doubled in the last two years. So for 40 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 2: those growers that have got that fruit, and most citrus 41 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 2: growers have got a good mix of fruit, so lemons 42 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,359 Speaker 2: or limes and oranges mandarins. Then that particular part of 43 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 2: their businesses has really turned up. 44 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,640 Speaker 1: In a word, what is the difference between juice grade 45 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: and just one you eat? Is the juice grade sweeter 46 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:43,239 Speaker 1: or something? 47 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 2: No, it's just how it looks. 48 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: Oh, so the juicing ones are ugly. 49 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 2: Are they basically? Yeah? Yeah. So normally if we're sending 50 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 2: them off to the packhouse, they'll give them a wash 51 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 2: to clean up over the brushes and then grade them 52 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 2: out on cosmetics. So the best looking stuff goes off 53 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 2: to the supermarket, and then anything with defects or a 54 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 2: bit of a funny shape they go off to red 55 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 2: some companies Mett. 56 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: Thank you for this, Met Carter, orange grower and Sitrus 57 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: New Zealand board member, putting all the ugly ones in 58 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 1: the dark. 59 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 2: For more from News Talks, it'd be listen live on 60 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 2: air or online and keep 61 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,839 Speaker 1: Our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts 62 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 1: on Iartradio.