European Production of kiwi season 2008/09

This season, the Italian crop is around 480,000 tonnes, an increase of 12% on last year, and with an average fruit weight of 65 grammes.

As far as France is concerned, it is stable with around 60,000 tonnes of produce.

The Spanish crop for 2008-2009 has suffered a significant shortfall, with losses of up to 35% compared to normal seasons. This has been due to spring frosts and rains during the flowering period.

Spanish exports have been all but wiped out because with trees having less fruit, there have been some very large sizes, unsuitable for European demand. This has meant that Spanish dealers have focussed on the domestic market. “Sales have been slower than last year”. This market pace, if it is compared to the Spanish season last year, could be explained by the lower quantities that Italy had in 2007-2008 and their continuous exports to the East which left a greater margin for Spanish kiwi.