Win for kiwifruit industry in TPP Agreement

Win for kiwifruit industry in TPP Agreement

Zespri welcomes the conclusion of negotiations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement which will generate significant value for the New Zealand kiwifruit industry.

The TPP will eliminate tariffs on kiwifruit exports into all 12 Asia-Pacific nations when it comes into force and Zespri Chief Executive Lain Jager explains the most immediate impact will be in Japan.

In 2014, the industry paid over $15 million in tariffs into Japan which is Zespri’s largest country market.

“If this tariff relief was passed straight through to New Zealand growers, it would equate to savings of over $1000 for every hectare of kiwifruit grown in New Zealand. This tariff elimination will also benefit Japanese consumers by supporting our competitiveness against other fruit in Japan,” says Mr Jager.

Annual sales volumes to Japan are expected to increase around 9 percent over the next five years.

The other countries in the agreement – Brunei, Chile, Singapore, USA, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico, Canada – either do not have tariffs on kiwifruit, have existing free trade agreements with NZ or do not currently import NZ kiwifruit.

“We congratulate all those who have worked tirelessly to achieve this fantastic outcome for our industry, including MFAT and MPI trade officials, along with Trade Minister Tim Groser and Prime Minister John Key.

“We welcome the release of further details of the Agreement and hope this will help to balance some of the concerns which have surrounded these negotiations. The reality is that New Zealand is a small nation reliant on exporting to earn our way in the world and these agreements are vital to our future prosperity as a nation,” says Mr Jager.

“This Agreement follows recent successes by the government of New Zealand in achieving tariff elimination through agreements with Korea and Taiwan, and we are grateful for the support of our government in encouraging trade.”

ENDS

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