Northern Hemisphere kiwifruit producers anticipate a favourable market as they gear up for the start of the new season, with a good balance between supply and demand.
As the Chilean and New Zealand seasons begin to wind down, Patrizio Neri, president of the International Kiwifruit Organisation (IKO), said he expected there to be a smooth transition from Southern to Northern Hemisphere supply.
He said IKO forecasts point to a “balanced production in terms of export volume and generally good fruit condition”.
Greece and France will see similar production volumes to last season, while Italy is expected to undergo a contraction of around 10 per cent.
Neri made his comments at the close of the IKO’s annual conference in Turin last week, in which members expressed confidence ahead of the new season.
“This is the 38thIKO conference and for many years our meeting represents an important moment during the year, for the main exporter and grower nations of kiwifruit to gather and exchange information and experiences in regards to the current international market,” Neri said.
“The gathered delegations from countries including Chile, France, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and the US, represent the interests of the global industry and our organisation helps foster continued development amongst its members”.
Earlier, delegates agreed on the need to maintain high levels of quality and condition of their kiwifruit exports as well as ensure the correct country of origin labelling of the product, an issue which had been raised during the conference, due to the occurrence of mislabelling of the origin of kiwifruit in Italy and France, last season.
The conference also addressed a series of technical issues related mainly to phytosanitary aspects and how member countries could cooperate to tackle common production challenges.
