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Gold kiwifruit on vine - Source: ONE News
Some kiwifruit growers are calling for remaining Zespri crops to be ripped out, because a rival breed of Psa-resistant gold kiwifruit is successfully growing in Te Puke.
More than 30% of all kiwifruit orchards are infected with the virus and more than 1000 hectares of orchard in the Bay of Plenty region have been lost.
Exports of all gold varieties are about 22% or around $220 million worth of the kiwifruit export crop.
ENZA, the pipfruit exporter owned by Turners and Growers, says it has a variety of gold kiwifruit growing well in the region, and that is giving growers hope this variety can be farmed through Psa.
David Marshall, a grower of the ENZA gold kiwifruit, said he is cautiously optimistic about the new variety and production from the crop is increasing.
The rival crop is projected to jump in production from 6000 to 14000 trays per hectare, while more than 50% of Zespri gold will be lost to Psa.
Despite the success of the fruit, under the Kiwifruit Export Regulations 1999, only Zespri, the Government-backed fruit marketer, is allowed to export kiwifruit from New Zealand to markets other than Australia.
"It's absolutely heart breaking to see all the hard work and investment in the ZespriGold going to waste, but on top of that, I have all this beautiful fruit right next door and it's doing so well, but growers cannot freely export it," said Marshall.
Growers of the ENZA kiwifruit have called for the industry to cut out every Zespri gold vine in the country and start again.
"Every time it rains the air becomes a toxic soup of Psa inoculum," said Chris Dunn, a grower of Zespri's rival kiwifruit. "So we're continually having to spend more on sprays and disease management to keep our orchards safe."
Dunn said the Government and Zespri have got blinkers on when it comes to exporting other varieties of kiwifruit.
"I'm worried they'd sooner let the whole industry go down than let people sell other varieties overseas."
He said it is not about the monopoly debate any longer, it is about the survival of growers and the industry.
The importance of biodiversity
Dunn said growing a wide variety of kiwifruit breeds is important to protect against Psa.
According to Dunn, Zespri's narrow breeding programme is dangerous because no one can guarantee a variety of kiwifruit completely resistant to Psa.
"The thing with horticulture is that you need biodiversity to ensure a safe future," he said. "If we get into the same situation where we have a monoculture again, a year down the track we could find ourselves in the same boat."
"The ZespriGold crop in Italy was decimated by Psa, but across their national crop they had several different varieties, so they're coming through it," he said.
Critical decisions
The managing director of Turners & Growers, Jeff Wesley, said this winter will be critical to the survival of many kiwifruit orchards and the industry.
According to Wesley, the longer New Zealand fruit is on the sideline, the harder it will be to get back into the game.
"When there's a void, someone will fill it. There will be a lot of big overseas players rubbing their hands together right now", he said.
"Every year that passes, and we are talking in years, it'll be harder for New Zealand kiwifruit to get back in."
He said allowing kiwifruit orchards to grow a range of varieties, which can be farmed in a Psa environment, is the only way forward.
"We have three commercially proven varieties that have an established and fast growing market around the world and ENZAGold will increase production this season from orchards in the Red Zone," he said.
According to Wesley, the current vine stock could be grafted directly onto the growers' existing stock and be producing within two years.
Turners & Growers has previously launched court actions attempting to break Zespri's monopoly.
