New Zealand kiwifruit company Zespri has allocated the final licences to grow the company’s Zespri Gold variety, authorising another 222ha of vines.

The company has carefully controlled planting of its yellow-fleshed kiwifruit to avoid a glut on the market, and believes it will now have enough supply to keep up with increasing international demand up to 2015, according to Radio New Zealand.

In the final phase of parcelling out an additional 600ha over the last three years, Zespri said it received twice as many tenders as there were allocations, showing a strong demand from growers.

Licences to grow the Zespri Gold variety went for an average price of over NZ$26,000 a hectare.

Most of the plantations are in New Zealand, accounting for 2,700ha.

Growers allocated the last round of licences will plant their vines over the next two years.

Zespri has also started trials on several new kiwifruit varieties. Three gold cultivars and one green kiwifruit variety developed by HortResearch will undergo orchard trials.

The new varieties will potentially be planted by 2010 and harvested by 2012. Zespri says the new green kiwifruit will harvest three to four weeks earlier than the Hayward variety.

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