Kiwifruit company Zespri has netted a record $2.26 billion in sales.
The company announced the 19 per cent increase on last year at today's annual general meeting, where about 500 growers and shareholders gathered at the ASB Arena.
Zespri chairman Peter McBride said the the high yields and late start to the New Zealand season meant lower per-tray returns for Zespri Green but continued strong per-hectare returns for the Green business.
"A particular highlight was the performance of SunGold which saw a sharp increase in both volume and per-tray returns - up 39 percent to $98,838 per hectare and five percent per tray to $8.64," Mr McBride said.
The meeting reported on Zespri's financial year to March 31, covering the performance of NZ kiwifruit sold in the 2016 season with sales running from April to November each year and Zespri's counter-seasonal Northern Hemisphere season with fruit sold from October to March. Most of Zespri's fruit is from New Zealand and the company also sources fruit from Italy, France, Korea and Japan to supply key retail customers with Zespri-branded fruit all year round.