Less imported kiwi from Europe expected this season
From
| 26 October 2023
Overview of kiwifruit from Europe in the U.S. market, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on October 25, 2023.
Demand is anticipated to be strong for the start of the imported kiwi season. The first containers are expected in the U.S. in the first week of December. “Everybody is waiting for the arrival of Italian and Greek kiwi as the market is empty. Supply will start strong because of the request for kiwi from all clients,” says Michel Matouk of World Fresh Produce Inc.
He notes that the supply of green kiwi is tighter compared to last year. “Due to climate anomalies and phytosanitary problems, Italian production is down with the forecasts giving from -10 percent to -20 percent,” says Matouk. Greece may also have a little less volume than last year, so production overall from Europe will be smaller. However, along with good quality, sizing should be better this season. (Last season’s sizing was characterized by a high percentage of small calibers.)
Along with the supply being down, harvest also seems delayed by the climate in both Italy and Greece. “Kiwifruit must reach a certain sugar content to be harvested assuring their quality. Whatever is picked before will be a low-quality fruit and nature cannot be forced,” Matouk says, noting its following best practices to guarantee clients the best possible kiwi. “The biggest challenge is the supply crush characterizing the market today and that will probably characterize it in the near future. It will be crucial to secure supply, keep the value high to help the growers but at the same time, not penalize consumption.”
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)
Varietal notes
For World Fresh Produce, while the Hayward green kiwi variety is its main product, it is also developing a new variety of gold kiwi and a new variety of red kiwi–the latter of the two is a product that’s expected to appeal to more of a niche market.
As for demand, it’s also anticipated to stay strong throughout the season given overall kiwi consumption has grown since the pandemic thanks to its nutritional benefits, including its high vitamin C levels. “Marketing activities directed to the consumers, in particular to raise the consumers’ awareness of the nutraceutical value of kiwi, will be more important to sustain consumption,” says Matouk noting that while consumption should keep growing thanks to that health factor, its rate of growth will also depend on prices.
On pricing, this current lack of supply means pricing is at a historical high. “How these prices will evolve is difficult to say but we do not see a sharp drop and a return to last year’s prices,” adds Matouk. “When the season will end will depend on the reaction of the demand to the high prices. All in all, though, with a tighter supply, the season can hardly end later than last year.”
The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.
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