Zespri is forecasting this year's kiwifruit harvest to be about 90 million trays, down from the 105 million in 2011.

General manager for grower and government relations Simon Limmer says last year's harvest was a record crop.

He says even if the vine disease Psa-V did not ravage the 2012 crop, there would still be a normal seasonal drop in volume.

Simon says handling lesser trays will allow Zespri to save money, and a reduced supply could raise the price per tray.

However, this is may be restricted in Europe due to a difficult economic climate.