Photo: 123rf
New Zealanders chomped through over $1 billion of potatoes last year - mostly in the form of chips or frozen fries.
The stat cames from Fresh Facts 2024, an annual report from pan sector group United Fresh which outlines eating and exporting trends.
Total annual potato production decreased by 72,800 tonnes between 2019/20 and 2023/24, a drop of 13.7 percent.
Domestically consumed processed chips and frozen/fries potatoes made up 61.3 percent of the total domestic industry value in 2023/24.
The report also looked at eating trends of other fresh produce. Data showed Taiwan consumed $44 million worth of New Zealand cherries, and royal gala is still our most popular export apple variety, making up 22 percent of exports.
Tough times avocado growers have been having over the last couple of seasons were laid bare in the report. Between 2022/23 to 2023/24, the total volume of avocado produced decreased by 1.5 million trays, and export value of avocados decreased by 67 percent to $20.3 million.
Terrible weather led to a smaller harvest last year, and quality issues led to an oversupply of lower-grade fruit in the domestic market - pushing down prices.
But overall in 2024, New Zealand's fresh fruit and vegetable exports will reach $4.3 billion - an increase of 8 percent from 2023.
Fresh Facts 2024 also looked at the fresh fruit and vegetable industry's reporting on sustainability. Last year guidelines were produced to help businesses look at United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have been adopted by the New Zealand Government.
An analysis of annual reports across the industry showed 84 percent mentioned sustainability, but only 20 percent mentioned SDGs specifically, and only 2 percent had adopted an SDG framework.
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