Sour taste of apple imports
Tukituki MP Craig Foss thought he was seeing things when he spotted Enza-stickered Pacific Rose apples from Washington State on sale for $5.98 a kilogram in a Hastings supermarket, alongside several other imported varieties.
A bin of locally grown Sunrise variety apples was tucked away in a corner.
It seemed a bit weird at this time of the year, Mr Foss said. It doesnt seem right. It goes against the grain.
He had since had calls from several irate growers, who did not believe Enza should be competing with local apples, especially when they were making very little money out of their exported fruit. They got good prices last year, but they were nailed by the dollar, Mr Foss said.
Enza International brand manager Oliver Downs said Enza had brought in the Pacific Rose from Washington to fill a gap in the market from December to February.
People complained they couldnt get decent apples at this time of the year, he said.
