Zespri's first shipment of kiwifruit for the 2012 season is due to leave the Port of Tauranga for Japan today, carrying around 800,000 trays of Zespri Gold.

The 2012 harvest is now underway in the Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay, after starting in the Poverty Bay two weeks ago, with this year's harvest expected to reach 20 million trays of Zespri Gold (hort16a) kiwifruit.

Kiwifruit being loaded onto a ship at the Port of Tauranga.

The industry is expecting to harvest around 70million trays of Zespri green kiwifruit, around 3.5million trays of Zespri organic kiwifruit (making zespri the largest exporter of certified organic produce from New Zealand) and around 2million trays of Zespri's newly-commercialised varieties.

Zespri general manager of supply chain, Sally Gardiner says Zespri's first charter ship for the 2012 season was partly loaded in Gisborne on Sunday, with kiwifruit from the Poverty Bay region and will complete loading in Tauranga today, before departing for Japan.

Sally says early season demand for kiwifruit in Japan, which is Zespri's biggest market, was strong with customers excited about getting the new season's fruit on to their shelves.

Zespri expects to load around 50 chartered refrigerated vessels in the next 30 weeks to exclusively carry the majority of the 2012 New Zealand kiwifruit harvest to key markets in Asia and Europe.

Sally says having Zespri chartered ships to exclusively carry kiwifruit, Zespri gains greater flexibility and efficiencies in its supply chain to get the fruit of New Zealand kiwifruit growers direct to the market and in premium condition. The remainder of the 2012 harvest will be shipped in refrigerated containers.

The first shipment to Europe is due to depart New Zealand at the end of this week.