Italian fresh produce marketing body CSO has revealed that the Italian kiwifruit crop is expected to decline in volume this year, contributing to an overall fall in Northern Hemisphere production of 1 per cent to 661,100 tonnes for 2009/10.
According to new statistics released by the group, total Italian production is expected to fall to 483,700 tonnes this year, down 7 per cent from the 518,401 seen during 2008/09. Of that total, commercial volumes of kiwifruit are expected to drop 8 per cent from 474,200 tonnes to 436,200 tonnes.
By Italian region, Lazio will see the biggest fall, with production down 20 per cent to 149,785 tonnes from 186,081 tonnes last year, while the crop is also set to fall in Veneto, down 9 per cent to 63,614 tonnes.
However, production in Piemonte is forecast to grow 3 per cent to 128,107 tonnes from 123,911 tonnes in 2008/09, and an increase is also expected in Emilia Romagna of 17 per cent to 75,943 tonnes. Across other growing regions, volumes are set to fall 10 per cent to 66,250 tonnes.
Across the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, France and Greece are expecting volume increases, up 15 per cent and 20 per cent to 68,000 tonnes and 90,000 tonnes respectively, while Portugal (up 27 per cent to 14,000 tonnes) and Korea (up 7 per cent to 16,000 tonnes) are also set for larger crops.
In the US, California's kiwifruit production is set to remain stable at 18,000 tonnes during 2009/10.
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