Greek kiwifruit exporters are seeing a downturn in their volumes to the UK this season, and are finding the market increasingly tough to supply.
George Kallitsis, export manager at Protofanousi Fruits, said: “We have had a much smaller crop this year - 50-60 per cent less volume than in a normal season - due to low temperatures last April and May, and that has pushed down our volume of smaller fruits, which we generally send to the UK market. We cannot be a steady supplier to the UK at the moment, but continuity is what the retailers demand.
“At the end of December we had to stop sending to the UK altogether, as we could not compete with Italy on price. The Greek season lasts to the end of May, however, so things could pick up.”
A similarly small crop in Italy has pushed up overall prices for kiwifruit on the European market, said Kallitsis. “Greek and Italian kiwifruit is fetching €1.10-1.30 per kg, compared to the usual price of €0.80-0.90. The way the season is evolving, it is working out well for us that prices are going higher.”
The exchange rate between the euro and the pound is also pushing European kiwifruit grower returns down, making it more competitive for the Greeks to send to Russia and central Europe.
“UK supermarkets are becoming harder and harder to work with,” said Kallitsis. “They not only have stricter quality demands, but now they are also starting to look at the price as well, which two to three years ago was not such an issue for them. Nowadays, they want lower prices from us, and new certification requirements, so instead we are sending product to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and Canada, and this year we are increasing volumes to the US and the Far East.”
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