Pollen firm looks to export due to Psa

Te Puna-based PollenPlus this season ended up producing 40 per cent of its normal supply of supplementary pollen, as a result of the Psa outbreak in kiwifruit orchards.
"We were three days into production when the Psa was announced," said Pollen Plus owner, Steve Saunders. "There were a lot of unknowns and mixed messages around pollen and we took a strong industry stance."
PollenPlus, the world's largest supplier of pure chieftain male pollen, shut down its application service and had its pollen tested.
"We didn't want to be spreading any potential Psa," Mr Saunders said.
In the end, the company distributed only 10 per cent of its pollen to growers here in New Zealand.
It now has freezers full of the frozen pollen ready for export.
"Sure, it's had an impact on our financial position this year," said Mr Saunders. "But if we can move the product for export, then we are fine."
He still expects to export to Japan and Korea from March but Australia and United States have put a ban on imported pollen.
Mr Saunders said he still wasn't totally convinced that the Psa problem here was associated with pollen.
"We have time to get some answers and solve some problems," said Mr Saunders.
PollenPlus normally picks 100 tonnes of chieftain flowers each season and produces one tonne of pollen.
Mr Saunders is certain there is still a role for supplementary pollen in the kiwifruit industry. "There's pressure on the quality of beehives, and supplementary pollination is important to the economics of kiwifruit, particularly for green growers and new varieties.
"I believe we will get back to normality pretty quickly."
He said once the industry had a better understanding of the Psa problem in New Zealand, pollen companies would have to introduce new systems.
They will need to show a good track and trace system and give the growers confidence that the product they are receiving doesn't have a problem.