New Zealand horticulture exports have almost doubled in value in the last 10 years, according to data from research body Plant and Food Research.
Exports and domestic sales of fruit, vegetables, wine and flowers were worth over NZ$6bn (US$3.97bn) in the year to 30 June 2009, TVNZ reported.
Export returns for the same period topped NZ$3.4bn (US$2.25bn), a big increase on the NZ$2.9bn (US$1.92bn) for the 2007/08 financial year.
Fresh fruit remains the country's largest horticultural export, raking in NZ$1.58bn (US$1.04bn) in revenue in the year to 30 June 2009, up 18.2 per cent on the year before.
This figure came mostly from kiwifruit exports, worth around NZ$1.07bn (US$709m), and apple shipments which totalled NZ$396m (US$262m).
Kiwifruit exports have increased markedly in the past decade, more than double the NZ$478m (US$316.8m) worth of the fruit shipped in 1999.
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