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 on Tuesday.

Industry group Citrus New Zealand said in July that it didn’t anticipate the orange shortage from Brazil would impact New Zealand’s orange juice supplies.

Brazil is the world’s major orange grower which is now hit by drought and disease and the yields are down by at least a third, according to local media reports.

Major orange juice brands in New Zealand said that they had been affected by the global shortage, adding however that 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, the report said.

(Xinhua/NAN)