Shortage hits nation’s favourite fruit
New Zealand is in the midst of a nationwide banana shortage after a banana boat broke down off the coast of Ecuador.
Countdown supermarkets are warning customers of limited stocks over the next two weeks.
Countdown in Ponsonby, Auckland, told customers it was being limited to 10 boxes of fair-trade organic loose bananas a day until Thursday when its next shipment was due to arrive.
‘‘This will affect all supermarkets nationwide,’’ a sign in the store said.
Dunedin’s Mornington Countdown told customers yesterday there would be limited stocks for the next two weeks.
Countdown spokesman James Walker said a new shipment of bananas arrived in New Zealand at the end of last week and would be on shelves nationwide from Thursday.
Antoinette Laird, a spokeswoman for Foodstuffs, which owns New World and Pak ’n Save, said it was unaffected by the banana boat delay.
New Zealand last faced a banana shortage nearly a year ago, also after a ship from Ecuador carrying bananas broke down.
Supply was also short in March 2014 when bad weather affected growing conditions in the Philippines.
In 2013 the Philippines supplied about 70 per cent of New Zealand’s bananas and Ecuador supplied the rest.
It was the nation’s favourite fruit that year, with New Zealanders spending $143 million on bananas, $37m more than on apples.