20 May 2014

Kiwifruit export levels still hit by PSA

4:43 pm on 20 May 2014

Zespri says the number of kiwifruit being sold overseas will not be back to pre-PSA levels until 2017.

The virulent bacterial disease was first found in 2010 and resulted in most of the gold vines in the biggest kiwifruit producing region, the Bay of Plenty, being ripped out and replanted.

The number of trays of gold kiwifruit picked this season has increased from 11 million in 2013 to about 17 million this year.

Zespri general manager of grower and government relations Simon Limmer said it would be another three years before exports were back up to 29 million trays.

He said they were happy with the speed the industry was growing and were optimistic about the future.