New Zealand Kiwifruit marketer Zespri is already reaping rewards from a partnership with Turners & Growers in four Asian countries, newspaper the New Zealand Herald reported.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Berlin this February, putting in motion a plan for the two companies to work together in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, based out of an office in Bangkok.

Zespri's Singapore-based regional manager Andrew Common told the newspaper volumes were on course towards 63% growth.

The story reported the company's goal was to sell one million trays of kiwifruit in the four countries this year, highlighting how previous efforts in Thailand were focused in the greater Bangkok area but now Zespri was casting a wider net to reach 53 million more people in the country.

This matches the one million trays expected in Singapore, adding to estimates for 20 million in China, two million in Malaysia and 1.5 million in Indonesia, the story reported.

"As people become wealthier, kiwifruit is becoming more affordable," Common was quoted as saying.

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