Primland is looking forward to a resumption of normal business as it gears up for its first new season kiwifruit arrivals from Chile. Managing director Jean-Baptiste Pinel said that while nationally production is down by around 20 per cent on an average year due to the lingering effects of the 2013 freeze, the company’s output would be back to normal levels and it expects shipments from the Andean nation to reach 150 containers in 2015.
Pinel said he anticipated a smooth progression from Northern to Southern Hemisphere supply. “European stocks are at a reasonable level and sales are progressing fairly briskly and because there will be less Chilean fruit than normal we are expecting the market to be fairly well balanced in the coming months,” he noted.
Primland has been involved in Chilean kiwifruit production since 1999 and today it has around 110ha in the VII region. Because the company’s farms are located on the Pacific side they were less affected by the September 2013 freeze than growers nearer to the Andes and so they do not have to contend with the residual damage still impacting production in other parts of the country.
Chile plays a crucial role in the company’s year-round programmes –so much so that the company recently increased capacity at its Chilean packhouse.
“Our Oscar-branded kiwifruit is shipped to 35 countries worldwide and our aim to keep growing each year,” said Pinel. “Chile is an integral part of this expansion – not just because of the timing of its production but also the professionalism of its growers and packers and quality of its fruit.”
