Ben Smith.

Never much fun at the best of times, supermarket shopping is made even scarier at the moment by the high price of fruit and vegetables – the very things we’re all told we should be eating more of. But don’t blame the grower: blame mother nature.

Fresh produce imports from Australia, which normally boost our scarce winter supplies, have been slowed to a trickle by the devastating Queensland floods earlier in the year.

Young Grower of the Year, Ben Smith, says that while the current “pretty crazy” prices at produce markets may bring short term benefit to growers, they can also turn off customers, who may be slow to return to buying even when prices drop.

Ben, who works for giant tomato producer Status Produce at Tuakau, explains that the tomato industry is better placed than most horticultural enterprises, as its focus on the local market makes it relatively unaffected by the escalating dollar which carves swathes off exporters’ profits. New Zealand tomatoes are exported only when production rises in summer, mainly across the Tasman. Almost all the tomatoes on our shop shelves are greenhouse grown, with most outdoor production destined for processing.

Throughout the year a steady domestic demand exists from the likes of McDonald’s and Subway as well as supermarkets. This makes labour requirements quite stable, though Ben describes management of the ethnically diverse workforce as “one of the most challenging aspects” of his job.

Good managers are hard to find, and they require “a lot of different skills.” Ben says people entering the industry often have no family background in horticulture, so companies like Status “have to grow their own” and nurture staff to management level. That takes time, and there are “never enough” young entrants to the industry.

Support from Status during his university studies was a big factor in Ben’s choice of career. He notes that while horticultural science student numbers are still low, they’re three times what they were in his day.

Despite the many problems besetting horticulture Ben sees a very positive future. To survive and thrive, growers need to band together for marketing, emphasising quality, particularly for exports.

Many industry sectors have initiatives in place, and Ben feels a united approach is vital. While not advocating single desk selling, Ben regards a combined marketing effort as the way forward for the country’s horticultural exporters as a whole.