Would you pay $39 a kilo for zucchini?

Thursday, 23 July 2020

Zucchini for sale at $38.99 a kilogram in Wellington. Prices are soaring due to a ban on imports from Queensland.

Zucchini prices are closing in on $40 a kilogram as a ban on importing the vegetables from Queensland continues to bite.

Last week, Stats NZ said prices for zucchini, also known as courgettes, had jumped 74 per cent to an all-time high of $21.42 a kilo in June.

And the news is only getting worse for ratatouille fans, with the vegetables spotted on sale for almost double that at a Wellington supermarket on Wednesday.

In a snap supplied by a shopper, New Zealand-grown zucchini were labelled $38.99 a kilo at New World Willis St Metro.

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Although higher prices are expected outside the main growing season, a ban on imports of zucchini from the Australian state had sent prices soaring ahead of schedule, Stats NZ said.

All imports of fresh cucurbit – a plant group including pumpkin, squash, and cucumber as well as zucchini – from Queensland were suspended in December due to the cucumber green mottle mosaic virus.

Ajay Jina, managing director at Jina's World of Produce in Wellington, said the message to shoppers remained the same: Buy what is in season. (File photo)

Stats NZ consumer prices manager Sarah Johnson said zucchini prices tend to peak in September, but the shortage had pushed prices to a record high last month.

'We have seen courgette prices briefly top $20 per kilo when imports from Australia were suspended in 2018 for the same virus.”

Ajay Jina, managing director at Jina's World of Produce in Wellington, said the prices seen this winter were among the highest he had ever seen.

However, there was always demand for fresh New Zealand produce, including zucchini.

Although demand from home cooks had dropped off, restaurants, cafes, hospitals and aged care facilities with set menus continued to buy the vegetables.

“If they can amened their menu by taking a dish off or substituting another ingredient, they will. But some really have to stick with it and they will keep buying, no matter what the price,” he said.

“We still have supply through our contracts with growers but we have to watch our stock levels pretty carefully.”

Jina said the message to shoppers remained the same: Buy what is in season.

”There is a lot of wonderful New Zealand produce available now, buy that. Food is better when it’s in season, not just for price but for taste as well.”