Kiwifruit close up

Following its entry into the Chinese market at the end of 2009, French kiwifruit marketer Prim'land has made some large strides, according to Végétable.

In the 2010/11 campaign, the Landes-based company sent 1,600 tonnes to China, at a value of some €3m, be that 10 per cent of its total turnover.

'If we hadn't had this market, we would have been in a difficult situation,' admitted president François Lafitte at a press conference held in Paris last week.

The company's Jean-Baptiste Pinel added that exports to far-off markets like China were a good way of adding value, since better prices could be found here than within Europe.

Prim'land sells nearly 40 per cent of its kiwifruit outside Europe, be that around 7,200 tonnes during the 2010/11 campaign.