Yummy Fruit Company chairman John Paynter, who grows over a million cartons of apples with 70 per cent for the New Zealand market, says the last week of February was a record week for supermarket sales throughout the country.
"This is a unique season. I've never seen one quite like it. While we growers often stand on the upside of optimism, fruit is eating exceptionally well and looking outstanding on the shelves."
General Manager T&G Pipfruit New Zealand Bruce Beaton says he'd been on the ground recently, with international colleagues eating apples straight from the tree.
"Everyone is loving our New Zealand apples. The world wants more of them and we have a wide range of varieties to meet different customer demands. It's an exciting time - you can feel the positivity out in the orchard with the fruit looking and tasting so good."
Mr Pollard says across all growing regions, the 2017 season is surpassing all others.
"It's a tribute to the hard work and commitment of our growers, supported by investment in science, research and innovation, and underpinned by a strategy to deliver $1 billion in export returns by 2022," he says.
"Everything is coming together. We are experiencing back to back record crops in both value and volume."
