The Greek kiwifruit crop is expected to be slightly lower than last year, dropping from 85,000 tonnes to around 80,000 tonnes for the whole of Greece, according to George Kallitsis, export manager of Protofanousi Fruits.
However, Italian growers are anticipating a much larger drop of around 20 per cent, Mr Kallitsis said.
'Volumes are forecast at 380,000-390-000 tonnes,' he told Fruitnet.com. 'So many Italian companies are looking to buy Greek kiwifruit. However, they will face a number of problems, including transport costs of around €2,000 per truck.”
As a result, growers in Greece are now demanding higher farm prices of €0.40-€0.60 per kilo, compared with an average of €0.33 per kilo last year, he revealed. “News of the shortfall in Italian production has spread quickly,' he added.
However, Mr Kallitsis stressed his belief that Greek exporters would still enjoy a good season. 'Chile is expected to finish earlier this year, by almost one month, as is New Zealand, so demand for Northern Hemisphere fruit will certainly be higher,' he said.
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