Kiwifruit 2010 it was found in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty kiwifruit orchards in the North Island. Scientists reported they had worked out the strain of PSA affecting kiwifruit from New Zealand, Italy and Chile originated in China. In 2016, global production of kiwifruit was 4.3 million tonnes, led by China with 56% of the world total (table). Italy and New Zealand were other major producers. In China, kiwifruit is grown mainly in the mountainous area upstream of the Yangtze River, as well as Sichuan. Kiwifruit exports rapidly increased from the late 1960s to early 1970s in New Zealand. By 1976,
Kiwifruit it "kiwifruit" for export marketing, a name commercially adopted in 1974. A California-based importer, Frieda Caplan, subsequently used the name kiwifruit when introducing it to the American market. Kiwifruit is native to north-central and eastern China. The first recorded description of the kiwifruit dates to 12th century China during the Song dynasty. As it was usually collected from the wild and consumed for medicinal purposes, the plant was rarely cultivated or bred. Cultivation of kiwifruit spread from China in the early 20th century to New Zealand, where the first commercial plantings occurred. The fruit became popular with British and American