Zespri SunGold

Imports of Zespri kiwifruit are on track to double that of last year’s in China’s southwest region, according to importer Golden Orchard.

The distributor of Zespri kiwifruit in China’s southwest region says Chengdu has seen the largest sales, while Kunming is seeing the strongest growth.

“Currently sales are going beyond our expectations,” Golden Orchard chairman Huang Zhigang said. “It grew almost three times more than the same period of last year, with about 800,000 cartons sold in total.

“Our target for this year is 2.5m cartons. That will bring us very close to double on last year’s total.”

Zhigang said Zespri's SunGold kiwifruit has been the driving force in the region, with SunGold selling quickly at retailers, supermarkets and online.

Golden Orchard become Zespri’s importer in China’s southwest in 2015, during which it sold 1.3m cartons of the New Zealand fruit in the region.