The Chilean Kiwifruit Committee has slammed some exporters for shipping fruit that is not fully ripe.
President Carlos Cruzat said the “outrageous practice” of exporting fruit that does not meet the minimum parameters of maturity set out by the committee harms the reputation of Chilean kiwifruit on the international market.
'Some producers are harvesting their kiwifruit completely out of time, for example, between February 8 and 15, to export them,” he told Simfruit.
“The fruit wouldn't have more than 4o Brix and therefore would not reach the minimum parameters that the committee and its associated companies are following to deliver quality fruits to the markets and consumers, which generate repeat purchases.”
Cruzat said shipping fruit that has been harvested too early are making a mistake because the practice “deceives consumers and harms the Chilean kiwifruit industry, undoing
more than 13 years [of work by the committee] to improve the quality and consumption experience of Chilean kiwifruit”.
According to the committee's Maturity Programme, producers can start harvesting the kiwifruit when it has a 6.2o Brix and a dry matter content of 16 per cent.
“Exporting kiwifruit that doesn’t comply with these parameters to take advantage of the prices achieved by neighbouring countries to Chile only destroys the market for the Chilean kiwi, which is unacceptable,” Cruzat stated.
