The key to the future success of the Chilean kiwifruit industry is homogeneity, according to Carlos Cruzat, president of the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee, not just in terms of size, shape and taste but also in terms of ripeness.
Consumer demand for ready-to-eat, ready-ripened fruit is on the rise in many markets, as on-the-go diets propagate. For the most far-flung markets, not least China, ensuring the fruit arrives at its destination at the perfect stage of ripeness is no easy task.
'It takes 40 days to ship to China,” said Cruzat. “When you add the time it takes to travel to the port and then to the retailer in China, it could be 50 days. This requires a particular product. Kiwifruit can be stored in controlled atmosphere conditions for some months, but you need to maintain the same quality during the whole period of storage, distribution and sale of the product.”
According to Cruzat, many consumers in China favour imports over domestically grown fruit, mainly for reasons of quality and food safety. So the importance of meeting such shoppers’ expectations regarding firmness and taste cannot be overstated.
'In China, consumers value imported fruit, which gives us the opportunity to complement their local production with exports from the Southern Hemisphere that comply with high levels of food safety,' he said.
The Chilean Kiwifruit Committee was created in order to standardise such procedures and certify the harvests with minimum parameters of quality.
“The committee standardises the management of the orchards and ensures that the best handling techniques are used,' said general coordinator Elizabeth Köhler. 'We continue to look at what’s happening in other countries in order to remain abreast of the latest methods.”
Last season’s frost, which massively reduced volumes last year, continues to affect the productivity of the orchards this time around, while the harvest has been lighter and sizes somewhat larger and heavier, Cruzat stated.
Other challenges include the threat of Psa, which was discovered in Chile’s VI region last year, and also the Russian embargo. The latter has encouraged Italian, Spanish and Portuguese exporters to store more of their larger fruit, since these fetch the best prices. As a result, most early Chilean kiwifruit will head to China and the US, until European stocks clear around the end of May.
