While the yellow kiwifruit production is on the rise, green kiwifruit, whose harvest started this week in Asturias, is still the most important variety, and its role in the global supply will remain essential. However, this year, the green-fleshed kiwifruit market has been under pressure due to a tighter production than ever before.
"This year, Zespri, the largest kiwifruit producer in the world, has dealt with many problems with the pollination of green kiwifruit that resulted in a campaign with fewer kilos and smaller calibers. The markets have been greatly affected by this lack of fruit, which led to the distribution of excessively early fruit from other producers, such as Italy and Greece, which have tried filling the gap in the supply left by New Zealand's green kiwifruit," said Jon Feito, of Feito and Toyosa, owner of the marketing company Kiwiastur.
"We cannot forget that Zespri is the world's kiwifruit market engine. The company has been focusing a lot on yellow varieties, and by doing so, it has reduced the supply of green kiwifruit, and this year, given the problems at the production level, the shortage has become even more noticeable."
"We at Kiwiastur have become green kiwifruit specialists. We are going to have a fairly good harvest of our own, totaling about 400,000-450,000 kilos, and together with the production of all our growers, we expect to market a total of 1.8-2 million kilos throughout the season."
"We are normally really focused on sizes, which is the differentiating factor of our kiwis in Asturias and the area in which we are most competitive, but this year, just like in every other farm we have been visiting, we are going to have smaller-sized fruit than other years because the plants have produced a lot of it. However, good prices are expected, especially for the large sizes, which will be scarcer," said Jon.
“Spanish kiwifruit has a great future, not just because it arrives earlier than New Zealand's, but also because it has a unique quality”
Asturias isn't free of the problems that have caused the drop in New Zealand's production. Temperature variations that cause irregular or untimely flowering, late frosts in spring or early frosts in autumn, as well as extreme weather events, are becoming increasingly common in a world in which weather patterns are being affected by climate change. However, remarkable technical development in crop management is making it possible to cope with these circumstances.
"The summer has been really intense and, as a result, the calibers may be smaller than expected, just like we've seen happen to other fruits. And we already knew what we were facing, given the heat waves of previous months, because kiwifruit does not easily tolerate temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius," said Miguel Angel Loren, from Andreea Fruits, kiwifruit crop advisor at Kiwiastur.
"Climate change is also bringing new pests; the ones taking the biggest toll are fungal pests, such as PSA or Phytophthora, which are more difficult to combat when temperatures are high and there's plenty of rainfall. In Italy, thousands of hectares have had to be uprooted due to the moria, and although no cases have been reported in Asturias, we have seen more plants than usual dying due to climate change."
"To help the plantations in dealing with these conditions, we are working hard on soil improvement, ensuring good aeration, the use of an effective fertilization system, and the application of preventive products and biostimulants to strengthen the plants. Since we started working with Kiwiastur three years ago, we have been achieving the objective of significantly improving the production."
"It is worth recalling that in Spain, kiwifruit can only be grown in certain areas," said Miguel Ángel. "And the coastal areas of Asturias, with zero elevation and no frosts, have a microclimate that allows it. Now that there is a lack of green kiwifruit, it is an advantage to be able to offer it, and Spanish kiwifruit also has a great future, not only because it arrives earlier than New Zealand's, but also because of its unique quality."
This is confirmed by Jon, from Kiwiastur, who manages a 25-hectare farm in production in Pravia and is planning a new 10-hectare extension. "We have just started harvesting, but customers have been calling us for a month already, asking when they will be able to get fruit."
For more information:
Kiwiastur
Mercasturias, Nave 6
33192 Llanera, Asturias. Spain
Teléfono: +34 985 26 22 58 / 646 12 94 44
kiwiastur@kiwiastur.es
https://kiwiastur.es