Insight for Sunday 22 May 2011

In November last year, NZ's billion dollar export kiwfruit industry was rocked by the discovery of the vine killing bacterial disease in an orchard just south of Te Puke.

The outbreak posed the greatest ever disease threat to the industry since exports began in earnest in the early 1970's.

Within a month the kiwifruit industry and Government had agreed on a multi million dollar package to compensate growers for a loss of income from removing infected vines, and for re-establishing blocks.

Six months later, how have growers and the kiwifruit industry coped with PSA, and what's been the economic effect.

Heugh Chappell investigates how much has the disease dented the confidence of growers and business community and what fears do growers have of the future.