The Italian kiwifruit harvest kicked off last week, with production forecast to fall by 13 per cent on recent seasons’ averages.
Wednesday was the official start date for the season, although fruit harvested in the first month is generally for longer-term storage and export to third countries outside Europe. The harvest for EU destinations will begin next month.
Officials in the Piedmont region, where there is a six per cent decline in volume on recent averages, have said that quality remains high. “This is not the case in other parts of Italy,” a statement from the Piedmont authorities said. “Where average temperatures have been high, pollination has not been optimal and fruit weight and size is small.”
The region of Lazio accounts for 35 per cent of the Italian kiwifruit crop. Piedmont accounts for 20 per cent, and Veneto for 15 per cent.
Italy remains the world’s largest kiwifruit producer, ahead of New Zealand and Chile, and last season, output from the European country reached 422,000 tonnes.
Germany, Spain and France are the biggest markets for Italian growers, with the UK some way behind.
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