The highest ever average return to green kiwifruit growers is being forecast by Zespri for the 2013 season.

'I'm pleased to say that the 2013 season remains on track to return the highest-ever average per-hectare green return to growers,” says Zespri Chairman Peter McBride.

Te Puke green kiwifruit grower Bruce Abrahams is happy with Zespri returns, but wants them repeated.

The average per tray return for growers of green (Hayward) kiwifruit is forecast at $5.23 a tray, or $42,692 per hectare orchard gate return.

Organic green growers should receive $7 a tray, but as their production is generally lower, the per hectare return will be $40,587.

The new green known as G14 will return $9.63 per tray, or $25,094 per hectare. Growers of gold kiwifruit should receive $12.60 per tray, or $88,682 per hectare.

These figures are based on an average returns across the whole industry and some growers will be receiving more, or less than those figures, says Peter.

Te Puke green grower Bruce Abrahams says Zespri deserves a bouquet for the excellent results, but he's challenging the marketer to repeat them.

'This result has been achieved despite the high value of our currency against our trading partners and that is fantastic.

'I've always said we do well when the exchange rate is in our favour and not so well when it is not, but these returns have proven we can achieve excellent results despite a tough exchange rate.

'However, I'm putting Zespri on notice that green growers will be watching you to repeat this result when increasing gold fruit volumes come on stream.”

Bruce, who grows in excess of 12,000 trays per hectare, against the industry average of 9000 trays, says green growers have been long-suffering, and for many years received returns, which were only just viable. Many believed Zespri put too much focus on marketing gold fruit, and not enough on green.

'For a robust and confident industry into the future, we need Zespri to consistently repeat what it has achieved this season.”

Peter says gold volumes are forecast to increase on 2013 volumes, as newly-grafted vines of varieties more tolerant to the disease Psa-V come into production.

'As an industry, we should celebrate this as the result of three years' hard work to strike a collective recovery pathway from Psa.

"I know individual growers are still suffering the effects of Psa, but the recovery of gold volumes should give us all confidence that we can manage in a Psa environment and our future is bright.”

Zespri has also approved a revised net profit after tax range for the company of $13 million to $15 million for the financial year to March 31, 2014. An excellent season selling Zespri-branded Northern Hemisphere fruit, with sales of Italian fruit in China being a highlight, along with the improved New Zealand forecast result, have led to the revised figures, says Peter.