A senior analyst with Rabobank has told fruit and vegetable growers they will need to get to know their customers better if they are to improve their earnings.
Marc Soccio told the Horticulture New Zealand conference in Auckland that if the industry is to achieve its goal of earning $10 billion by 2020, it needs to focus on its customers.
The industry currently earns $4 billion in export and domestic sales.
Mr Soccio says consumers are not spending as much on produce because of the global recession and also have less time to prepare meals.
He says developing fruit and vege products that suit customers in emerging Asian markets are the key to growing export earnings.
