Italian kiwifruit promise

Italy is a heavyweight producer of kiwifruit, but this year’s production has taken a hit and could see the market shaping up differently. Italian supplies are expected to fall by around 20 per cent this season, which will swing into action this month and run until May.

Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO) figures show that production is down in some of the main production areas of Emilia Romagna (-38 per cent), Piedmont (-35 per cent) and Veneto (-18 per cent), while production from Lazio is steady. Across the country, kiwifruit orchards in full production have reached 23,200 hectares, up 1.1 per cent on last year.

International Kiwi Organisation figures show that Italy is not alone in the slump, with Spanish production set to fall 17 per cent, Greek by 15 per cent and French by 13 per cent. On the other hand, Californian supply will rise by 14 per cent.

Alessandro Fornari from Italian firm Consorzio Kiwigold insists the sector must “look forwards and go onwards” to achieve its potential. “We need to look for new strategies - everyone talks about increasing consumption, but each country is different,” he says. “When we have full production, the European market cannot consume it all. The question is, how can we find the right strategy to open new markets? If we could co-ordinate more, we could do this better.

“I believe that European production will increase, but with an emphasis on new varieties - nowadays, a gap has opened up between production and consumption. A way forward is for us to keep planting new varieties, because we are aiming for better quality and taste, which is an important strategy.”

But on the ground, the most forward-thinking companies have enjoyed a boost in plantings and are building recognisable, reputable brands under which to market their best fruit.

Consorzio Kiwigold, for one, was formed in 2001 to promote golden kiwifruit variety Jintao ­- marketed as Jingold -and now represents more than 300 producers around the world. President Patrizio Neri says that overall, the consortium’s production in the northern hemisphere is up by 30 per cent as a result of new plantings and is expected to reach 6,600 tonnes this year. However, there are plans to increase exports and build on existing markets to increase business.

“Exports to the UK, for example, make up three per cent of the total output, but the group is hoping to double volumes to the UK this year,” says Neri. “We want to grow the market as much as possible, to Asia, North America and the East - we supply Tesco in China, for example.

“We are experimenting with new varieties, because the future of the category will be the increased segmentation of the product.”

But back to this season, a number of growers and suppliers have swung into action as the Italian kiwifruit season gets underway.

Zespri Europe has begun marketing its European kiwifruit, but question marks remain over both the potential volume available in Europe this season and the potential expansion of production in the continent over the next few years.

However, there are a number of hurdles facing growers and exporters, not least an outbreak of bacterial disease PSA.

Blair Hamill, Italy-based commercial manager at Zespri, has warned that it will take some time before the situation is brought under control.

“Until more is known about the disease, the environmental conditions it prefers and suitable control options, it is difficult to predict the future,” he said earlier this month, but he maintains that improvements to crop management techniques and better weather conditions should mean PSA’s grip on Italian kiwifruit production will be weaker in 2011.

“We are hoping for a good winter weather-wise and this, coupled with the fact that inoculum levels should be falling given the best practice that growers have been employing, will hopefully result in less infection than we have seen in the previous two winters,” he says.

Only the coming weeks will tell how the Italian kiwifruit season will pan out, but the major players are confident that the market should be stronger and supplies should shape up well.