Chilean company David del Curto has been dedicated to kiwis since 1991. Back then, it produced and exported about 1,200 tons, a volume that increased to 12,000 tons shortly. The company exports its kiwis to various markets. One of these is India, which has been gaining strength in recent years. "Kiwi is the popular fruit of the moment, and Chile has an advantage over New Zealand because it pays less import taxes," Christian Westphal, the sales executive in charge of this species, told Frutas de Chile. In addition, the drop in volume from Iran and a likely lack of small calibers in Chile could again result in a good season in India this year."
"In 2023, we learned the hard way that even a drop in New Zealand volume is not enough to give us a chance to sell in the kiwi's country of origin. China is a demanding market that prefers sweet, low-acid, and sometimes prematurely ripened fruit. In addition, a large part of Zespri's marketing budget is earmarked for China, which makes it even more difficult for Chilean kiwi to enter that market," Westphal stated.
The 2024 season was one of the most challenging in terms of weather challenges, such as frost and rain, phytosanitary challenges, and logistics issues, such as the port stoppage in the USA and Canada. The company exported just over 5,300 tons. Europe was the main destination market with a 43% share, followed by North America with 24%, and Latin America with 18%.
Despite the good shipments to Europe and Latin America, evaluating the development in these markets will depend on the pre-season expectations for each of the markets, Westphal stated. According to the executive, there will always be opportunities to continue growing as long as the product is attractive to the consumer. "This species has the perfect example of how the industry has to align, and I am logically referring to the Zespri model. There will be different opinions on how to deal with the growth of the southern hemisphere in the coming years, but it is clear that the opportunism of harvesting and exporting unfinished fruit only leads to self-sabotage of the industry and a lowering of the reputation of our product," Westphal said.
"The massification of yellow pulp kiwis is changing the definition of what is known as a kiwi, and it is precisely this new fruit that is attracting new consumers. Hayward, and in this case Chile, is benefiting from our competitors' strong marketing campaigns for SunGold, leaving Hayward as the most accessible alternative for consumers," he said.
Source: frutasdechile.cl