Zespri is thrilled 600ha of its new kiwifruit varieties - Gold3, Gold9 and Green14 - will be grafted or planted this year.
Grower interest in the two gold varieties, in particular, was overwhelming and those who bid for the undersubscribed Green14 variety were contacted by Zespri over the past couple ofweeks to see if they were interested in additional hectares.
In total, Zespri received 817 applications for 1800ha of new variety licences.
With the additional 50ha of Gold9 released by Zespri, 200ha of Gold3, 250ha of Gold9 and 150ha of Green14 will be grafted or planted this year.
The next potential licence application opportunity will be in 2011.
Of Zespri's 2700 New Zealand growers, 556 have received licences to grow Zespri's new kiwifruit varieties and 773 are growing Zespri Gold kiwifruit - leading the world in embracing and adopting innovative new kiwifruit varieties.
Zespri chief executive, Lain Jager, said the industry's input into new variety commercialisation and licence allocation decisions had been valuable.
"The strong collaboration and communication across the New Zealand kiwifruit industry is one of the reasons we, as an industry, are so successful.
"Grower debate and discussion is a crucial part of ensuring we are getting it right," he said.
Zespri's kiwifruit breeding programme with Plant & Food Research is the world's largest and most advanced, and will deliver substantial new variety opportunities for growers in the future. KEY POINTS Zespri received 817 applications for 1800ha of new variety licences.
600ha of new variety licences approved for grafting/planting this year - Gold3 (200ha), Gold9 (250ha), Green14 (150ha).
556 Zespri growers growing new varieties
773 Zespri growers growing Zespri Gold
Zespri's kiwifruit breeding programme with Plant and Food Research is the world largest and most advanced and will deliver substantial variety opportunities for growers.
