One of the country’s leading suppliers suggests green-fleshed kiwifruit output will be around 10-15 per cent lower
Italy’s green kiwifruit growers expect a decrease in production this season, according to Marco De Nadai of Treviso-based company Kiwi Passion.
Speaking to Italiafruit News, he predicted a “generally poor harvest” for green-fleshed varieties, principally Hayward.
“Several companies are reporting a decrease even in the order of 10-15 per cent compared to last year,” he commented, “and that was already among the poorest harvests in recent years.”
Although he urged caution ahead of official forecasts, it is accepted that poor weather during pollination and the effect of a mild winter mean volumes will fall.
“These problems also affected yellow-fleshed cultivars, where however a very different behaviour is evident depending on the variety,” he added.
“Finally, as regards red, a significant increase in volumes is expected by virtue of the plants that are entering production.”
While production in Greece is expected to remain stable or even rise, Italy faces a serious challenge to reverse its recent export trend and, in particular, fully address the impact of a disease called moria on its capacity to grow the fruit.
According to new Istat data published by Fruitimprese, the volume of the country’s kiwifruit exports were down by almost 30 per cent at 117,220 tonnes – although in value times those sales were only 2.9 per cent lower at €275.1m.
