Pipfruit New Zealand launched Apple Futures last year - a three-year initiative for growers to target nil-residue production.
Pipfruit Central Otago director and Ettrick fruit grower Stephen Darling said growers in the region were benefitting from signing up to the "unique" production system.
"No-one else in the world can match our new production systems," he said.
Mr Darling's claims come on the back of an announcement by Pipfruit NZ that this year's apple and pear export crop will be one of the best.
Chief executive Peter Beaven, of Hastings, said this season's exports were expected to earn more than $500 million in foreign exchange earnings.
The total export crop is predicted to be 17.2 million cases, or 309,000 tonnes, representing an increase of 16.5% over the 2008 crop.
Of this volume, 318,000 cases, or 2%, are pears and the rest are apples.
Mr Darling said Central Otago growers were "well on their way" to producing significantly more than half a million apple cases. Orchardists were benefitting from an ideal growing season, he said.
"We had a good spring and high rainfall during December, which is great for fruit size. This combined with the warm and dry conditions of January"We've now got fruit on our trees which is of optimum quality," he said.
All growing regions were reporting a strong flowering followed by a warm spring and little pressure from disease, which was promising good-sized fruit with high eating quality.
Central Otago orchards were following the lead of others around the country and producing variety mixes, which have moved away from the pipfruit industry mainstays of royal gala and braeburn.
Bringing variety mixes into the world market provided a point of difference from apples produced in other southern hemisphere countries, such as Chile and South Africa, Mr Darling said..
Mr Beaven said royal gala and braeburn varieties made up 76% of exports in 2006.
This year, they were expected to fall to 64% of exports and contribute to 53% of plantings.
Many of New Zealand's apples would have little or no spray residues, Mr Beaven said.
Apple Futures already covered half the New Zealand crop, he said.
A recent survey of apples selected randomly from British stores showed all the New Zealand apples tested were free of residues.
In addition, there will be over one million cases of organic apples produced for the first time in the industry's history.
"This year's crop will underpin our leading position in world markets," said Mr Beaven.
