Italian-based marketer forecasts 20 per cent rise in yellow kiwifruit volumes and 10 per cent growth for red-fleshed Exotic Red variety, with harvest set to begin in September
Kiwifruit marketer Jingold says it continues to see excellent commercial opportunities in Asia, despite the logistical challenges in supplying fruit to the region from Europe.
This week, the group returns as an exhibitor at Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong, where it plans to meet with customers and partners to plan for the season ahead.
“Asia Fruit Logistica is an important appointment as far as our reference markets in Asia are concerned,” says the company’s sales manager Moreno Armuzzi. “As we know, it’s been an extended period of complexity for international logistics in the region, with the Suez Canal standstill that continues to be a problem. But for us, this trade fair remains a key opportunity to meet clients from south-east Asia and the Far East.”
Ahead of a new European season that begins in a few weeks’ time, the company is poised to sell an increased volume of top-quality fruit.
The campaign begins in the second half of September with the first harvest of red-fleshed kiwifruit, with yellow-fleshed kiwifruit available after 10 October and an “optimistic” outlook for green variety Hayward.
Peak harvest is expected during the second half of that month.
“The first estimates confirm a trend already anticipated in early summer, with an increase for all Jingold kiwifruit varieties,” Armuzzi reveals. “For our core product, yellow kiwifruit, we expect a 20 per cent increase in production from all origins: first and foremost Italy, which remains the main country in terms of volume, followed by Greece and Portugal.”
He adds: “We also expect a production increase for our red-flesh kiwifruit Exotic Red, with an increase in the order of 10 per cent.”
In quality terms, the mood at Jingold reflects a quiet confidence. “In conclusion, Jingold is looking forward to a positive season, mainly because of a major increase in our core yellow variety,” Moreno concludes. “It’s a product for which market demand exceeds supply, so in that sense a larger volume is, and remains, our number one aim.”
