It notes that horticulture is New Zealand’s fourth largest export earner, sending fresh and processed products to more than 120 countries, valued at more than $2.5 billion every year.

The estimated saving for nine key product lines (kiwifruit, apples, avocado, buttercup squash, capsicum, cherries, onions, potatoes and vegetable juices) is just over $25 million a year for the growers now exporting these products to Japan, the USA and Vietnam.

The most critical result in the deal for New Zealand horticulture exporters is the reduction of tariffs to Japan, New Zealand’s horticulture’s third largest market.

“The reduction and eventual removal of these tariffs doesn’t just mean savings for growers exporting now, but it means the products they export in the future will be more competitively priced and able to challenge the offerings from other countries,” HortNZ chief executive, Mike Chapman, says. “Market access is an issue that never goes away for horticulture. So an agreement like this is overwhelmingly welcomed by growers, who can now be more confident about the markets they supply and can continue to plan for growth in their businesses.”