About 150 Kiwifruit growers have met in Te Puke to discuss the implications of the PSA vine disease and the structure of the industry.
Organiser Rod Thode wanted a mandate to push for a Commission of Inquiry into the PSA incursion and into how the industry is structured. He had hoped for an attendance of 500.
But the growers said with new varieties of the fruit, the industry still has a good future.
The meeting was told the Kiwifruit Growers organisation is working with the Government to be of more help to struggling growers and on tracking the source of the PSA.
One speaker said PSA is affecting all growers - not just those with the disease in their orchards. The value of kiwifruit land has dropped and interest rates have increased because the industry is perceived as being more risky.
