WELLINGTON (XINHUA) – New Zealanders have been suffering from orange juice shortage due to lower yields on the country’s east coast due to the Cyclone Gabrielle damage and smaller output from Brazil.
Supermarket chillers were left empty of orange juice throughout August, according to a local media report yesterday.
Industry group Citrus New Zealand said in July it didn’t anticipate the orange shortage from Brazil would impact New Zealand’s orange juice supplies, the world’s major orange grower which has been hit by drought and disease and yields are down by at least a third, according to local media.
Major orange juice brands in New Zealand said they have been affected by the global shortage, but orange juice should be back on the shelves soon.
Moreover, fewer orange orchards were being planted because it was not financially viable for growers due to the cost and stringency of organic certification, Radio New Zealand cited Auckland-based juice maker Living Juice as saying.
