Kiwifruit marketer Zespri has shocked growers with an announcement that they won't be paying them out for February. 

Zespri stated that fruit quality issues from the 2022 season created additional costs for them to factor in.

Zespri Chief Grower Carol Ward says that 2022 has been a challenging season for kiwifruit and other produce, and the fruit quality issues impacted on their returns.

Carol says Zespri released this statement as a message to growers that they expect returns to drop and that they plan to have a board meeting in February to discuss results.

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