Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

EastPack picks pre-tax profit of $6.2m

Updated at 6:26 am on 24 January 2013

Kiwifruit company EastPack is forecasting a pre-tax profit of $6.2 million for the 2012 year.

The largest post harvest operator fully-owned by growers also paid its suppliers a 20 cents a tray rebate in June last year.

Chairman Ray Sharp attributed the company's positive financial performance to its focus on quality and productivity gains.

But Mr Sharp says the bacterial vine canker Psa is increasingly making the industry a stressful one for kiwifruit growers and post harvest operators who are both having to deal with a significant loss of gold kiwifruit supply.

He says the post harvest sector needs to undergo rapid rationalisation to cope with Psa.

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