With the 2023-24 summerfruit season underway, please note the levy requirements under the Commodity Levies (Summerfruit) Order 2020.
Commodity levy – the basics
- Commercial growers are primarily responsible for paying the levy.
- A levy is imposed on summerfruit grown by commercial growers for commercial purposes, including all roadside stall sales, gate sales, farmers markets and any summerfruit sold directly to the public such as online sales.
- A grower may either pay the levy directly to Summerfruit NZ or use a collection agent such as a processor, marketer or exporter to pay the levy on their behalf.
- When selling fruit to another grower for resale, the receiving grower is considered the collection agent and is therefore required to pay the levy due.
Further information on the Summerfruit levy is located here.
Key timings for levy collection under the Commodity Levies (Summerfruit) Order 2020:
- Levies are to be paid monthly.
- The due date of payment for the levy is the day on which the fruit is sold, processed or exported.
- The latest day for payment of the levy is the 20th day of the month following sale.
How can I pay my levy?
Growers (who pay directly) must submit their levy declarations online through the Summerfruit NZ portal, simply login and follow the levy process. Once your declaration has been received you will automatically be invoiced for the amount you declared.
If you don’t currently have a Summerfruit NZ portal login, please contact admin@summerfruitnz.co.nz to request one.
Your username to login the portal is firstname.lastname if you have forgotten your password, please follow the rest prompts.
Levy Rates
The current levy rates (as set at the most recent Summerfruit NZ AGM) are:
- 1.5% for apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums and hybrids thereof*
- 0.75% for cherries
- 0.5% for processed summerfruit (excluding fruit sold to Heinz Wattie's)
- 0.05% biosecurity levy rate applied in addition to the above
Levy Audit
Under the Commodity Levies Act, annual levy audits may be carried out. The Board may consider holding a levy audit post season, based on this season’s levy returns. The process would involve a random selection for these audits, ensuring audits are completed across the three different areas (growers, marketers and exporters).
If you have any queries about this process, please reach out via this email address: admin@summerfruit.co.nz