In the past two seasons kiwifruit growers have come under increasing pressure to operate their businesses profitably. Orchard gate returns have fallen while costs continue to rise. In order to survive, growers need to look at high levels of productionwhile controlling costs. To compound the situation, the dry matter factor has been introduced into the OCR equation. What strategies can we use to come up with a profitable bottom line? To me, the one single annual event on the kiwifruit calendar that has the biggest impact on orchard performance is pollination. A good pollination will help overcome deficiencies in other areas of our season. This past season was a good example of this. Many of us in the Te Puke area were looking at very bad budbreaks back in October but because of an excellent pollination, we have come through with some very good crops. If good pollination is the major key to consistently high production, then how do we achieve it?
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