Kiwifruit Vine Health chief executive Barry O'Neil believes the New Zealand kiwifruit industry is equipped as well as ever to manage the vine-killing disease Psa, according to Radio New Zealand.
November marks three years to the month since Psa was first discovered at Te Puke orchard.
Since then, O'Neil estimated over 2,200 New Zealand orchards have been infected with a form of Psa.
O'Neil said the introduction of more Psa-tolerant varieties, such as Zespri’s Gold3, and an investment of over NZ$12m into finding the best ways of managing the disease, indicated the industry had begun a stable path to recovery.
'We're quietly optimistic that with the recommended approaches that we have to managing PSA that we'll be able to grow through the impacts,” O'Neil told Radio New Zealand.
