Italy is set to produce around 461,500 tonnes of commercial-grade product this season, according to new forecasts industry organisation Consorzio Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO).

The country is Europe’s largest producer of the fruit and forecasts its production will rise by 16 per cent compared with the previous year to 512,753 tonnes, while remaining slightly up on the five-year average for 2006-10, writes Eurofruit's Mike Knowles.

However, CSO analyst Elisa Macchi pointed out at trade show Macfrut that the increase in supply would be nearer 12 per cent. Sales of Italian kiwifruit to the UK fell in 2010-11, by 9.2 per cent to 14,431t.

Despite increases in production expected in both Emilia Romagna (up 49 per cent to 82,021t) and Piedmont (up 38 per cent to 129,672t), the percentage of crop for which individual fruits will be over the commercial minimum of 65g will be 90 per cent, compared with 93 per cent in 2010.

Kiwifruit forecasts for other key European suppliers include an anticipated 8 per cent increase for France (70,000 tonnes), a 23 per cent rise for Greece (89,500 tonnes) and a 6 per cent upturn for Spain (12,475 tonnes). Only Portugal is forecasting a smaller kiwifruit harvest, down 6 per cent to 16,000 tonnes.

Elsewhere, forecasts point to a dramatic 37 per cent increase in kiwifruit output to 26,925 tonnes in the US state of California this season, its biggest crop for six years. South Korea's kiwifruit output, meanwhile, is expected to be 8 per cent greater in 2011 at 14,700 tonnes.

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