Our Kiwifruit industry's nearing the end of a vote over what action to take about Sungold kiwifruit.

A grower smuggled vines to China in the mid-2010s and then sold them to the highest bidder, despite the fact our farmers have it licensed.

Since then, it is believed that China could be producing up to 90m trays of the fruit in 5 years.

Zespri's asked growers if they should continue the legal fight, or explore a commercial partnership.

Zespri's chief grower industry and sustainability officer Carol Ward told Mike Hosking there's a lot of support for the latter.

“What we’re trying to do is protect our shelf space and our retail outlets. China takes about 20% of New Zealand Kiwifruit, so it’s a great market for us.”

The vote ends on Friday.

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