The boss of New Zealand kiwifruit exporter Zespri has revealed the company's shipments to China are expected to fall by around a quarter this season, mainly as a result of the ongoing outbreak of vine disease Psa.
Speaking to Radio New Zealand, chief executive Lain Jager said the group would send around 7.5m trays of kiwifruit to China this season, down 25 per cent on the 10m trays it exported to the Asian country last season.
The decline amounts to something of a missed opportunity for Zespri's growers as they bid to expand into emerging markets in Asia; last year saw the group increase its sales to China by 20 per cent, with volumes split more or less equally between gold and green varieties.
Jager told the radio station: 'New Zealand kiwifruit is selling for about 10 times as much as domestic fruit is selling for.'
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