Her Excellency Gabrielle Rush
New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore
I am delighted to extend my warmest congratulations to the Singapore Fruit and Vegetable Importers and Exporters Association on their continued success in supporting and growing the industry.
As a New Zealander, I’ve always admired Singapore’s remarkable journey from a small fishing village to a global economic powerhouse. Over the years, we’ve cultivated strong ties in foreign policy, defence, trade, and business.
Singapore is an important trading partner for New Zealand – we are the 6th largest import origin of fresh fruit for Singapore, amounting to NZ$46.5M in 2023, of which kiwifruit, apples and avocados contributed more than 90% of the total import value.
This produce is some of the freshest, tastiest and purest in the world. It is grown by passionate growers who care about quality– not just for today, but also for generations to come – we call it kaitiakitanga. It is this passion that produces more than 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables every year, and it’s what you can taste in our safe and nutritious fruit and vegetables.
Thank you SFVIEA for your commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability. You have contributed significantly to strengthening the ties between Singapore and New Zealand and helped to make Singapore an ideal market to showcase our fruit to the rest of Asia, and the world.
I look forward to our continued partnership and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for the fresh produce sector.