Zespri will send about 7.5 million trays of kiwifruit to China this season - a drop of 25% from the 10 million trays sent last season.
And it's attributable to the falling volume of fruit due to the PSA disease.
Last season, returns to New Zealand growers from kiwifruit sales in China increased by 20%.
Zespri chief executive Lain Jager says China imports about a 50/50 mix of gold and green kiwifruit - and New Zealand fruit attracts a huge premium.
''New Zealand kiwifruit is selling for about 10 times as much as domestic fruit is selling for,'' he said.
China is the biggest kiwifruit producer in the world: 8000,00 tonnes - twice as much as New Zealand produces.
Mr Jager says the kiwifruit industry there is incredibly diverse.
