A New Zealand horticultural company has invested about half a million dollars in a coolstore in Malaysia.
Seeka is a post harvest operator servicing the kiwifruit and avocado industries.
Its chief executive Michael Franks says Seeka has been exporting kiwifruit to Malaysia and marketing it there, together with Zespri, for a long time.
But he says trade has always been hampered by the lack of good coolstore infrastructure.
Mr Franks says the climate is challenging because it can get hot, wet and humid. It is also a developing region where there has not been a lot of investment in infrastructure, he says.
He says Seeka is partnering with three other companies to fund the 2,800 square metre coolstore says it will offer other horticultural companies storage, distribution and retail services.
Mr Franks says the coolstore should be able to service the whole of South East Asia and consumers there should get better quality fruit as a result.