Psa impact severe

14 December 2012

Psa impact severe

Psa is having a severe impact on the premium Gold kiwifruit variety
and production will be well down next year, a Ministry of Agriculture
and Forestry report shows.

The outlook for New Zealand’s kiwifruit sector and the impact of
the bacterial disease /Pseudomonas syringae/ pv. /actinidiae/ has
clarified since the release of the annual /Situation and Outlook for
New Zealand Agriculture and Forestry/ (SONZAF) report in June.

MAF has released a half-year update which shows loss of vines since
the virulent strain stuck in November 2010 could take production of
Gold kiwifruit from 30 million trays in 2011 to 20 or even 10 million
trays in the 2012 season.

Psa has hit hardest around Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty where 41
percent of the total planted area is located. At this stage, just
over a quarter of kiwifruit orchards in New Zealand are known to have
the bacterium present.

Overall, up to 20 percent of Gold kiwifruit in Te Puke could still be
harvested, and up to 80 percent in the wider Bay of Plenty. This would
yield an export volume of around 16 million trays of Gold kiwifruit.

Psa has been slower to affect Green kiwifruit orchards, but orchard
infection numbers have ramped up during the 2011 spring. The impact
of Psa on green orchards in the medium term remains uncertain.

Overall, export volumes are expected to fall 21 percent to 89 million
trays, and export returns are expected to fall 18 percent to $862
million, for the year ending 31 March 2013.

The impact Psa has had over the past year, and will continue to have,
on rural businesses and local communities has raised the question of
the Government’s role in assisting recovery and MAF is
investigating options.

/For more information, go to the full half-year report in the
Publications section of the MAF website./

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