It is yet another record-breaking year for Hawke's Bay apple exports.

CEO Garth Cowie said, so far an 8.5 per cent increase on last year had been exported, with a record 22,205 twenty-foot containers shipped.

"Despite a late start to the season and a shortage of pickers, it has been a record harvest for our local growers," he said.

"Exports through Napier Port were up by more than 2000, twenty-foot containers on last season."

Volumes are expected to grow further, with an extensive programme of planting underway across the region.

"The pipfruit industry has set a target of achieving $1 billion in exports by 2020 and is well on the way toward achieving that. That's projected to translate into approximately 35,000 twenty-foot containers for export by 2025."

For the season to October 2 the port has shipped 22,205 containers.

"This represents significant growth since 2008, when we exported just 12,936 containers of apples through Napier Port."

Pipfruit New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said prices were strong and returns would be another record.

"We haven't got final numbers - we were forecasting $700 million and are confident of $720 million, which will easily be our export double in four years. In 2012 we did $341 million.''

While volumes steadily increased, the value increase was mainly due to price.

"It is being driven primarily by New Zealand-exclusive varieties. We have moved the product category out of the commodity space into the high-niche premium-product space."

A season two weeks earlier than normal compounded the problem with exporters shipping straight to Asia instead of storage.

Major innovations were added to the port, including an off-site depot for empty containers, a vehicle booking system, new mobile harbour cranes, container handlers that can lift two containers at once and added refrigerated storage.