October 15th marked the official start for the new Greek kiwi harvesting season. According to Mr. Thanasis Eythymiou, President of the O.P. Pyrgetos Kiwi, "at a nationwide level it is forecasted a production slightly higher compared to last season. It will be about 10% higher and this is thanks to the constant expansion of cultivation during the last years."
More kiwis are also going to be harvested this season from the area of Pyrgetos, but as Mr. Thanasis Eythymiou stresses: "This volume is lower than the last years' average. The reason is the climate change that brings warmer winters with less chill hours. Thus, the number of fruits is smaller than normal. We estimate our yield at 25 tons per hectare."
Regarding the size of the fruits, the President of the Greek O.P., estimates that it is certain that this season will bring less fruits of big caliber: "Last season there were many fruits of 23-27 sizes. However, this year it seems that these categories' fruits will be less and the majority will belong to the sizes 30, 33 and 36. This is again due to the warm past winter and against all our efforts to ensure bigger size profile. In this context, the grower price fluctuates around 1,05-1,10 euros/kg."
No hurry to harvest
O.P. Pyrgetos Kiwi consists of 45 Hayward growers and has its own packing facilities. According to Mr. Eythymiou, the fruits of the O.P. members need some more days to be ready for harvest. "Apart from the official harvest start date, it is necessary for the kiwis to have reached 6,2° Brix. Our Hayward kiwis will be ready for harvest on November 1st. We are not in a hurry to begin the harvest. We want to supply our customers the finest quality. Besides, the European-wide inflation has frozen the demand and there is quite enough kiwifruit both from New Zealand and Chile in the markets. It seems that the Zespri stocks will end at week 48," says the Greek cooperative executive.
Greater demand comes from across the Atlantic Ocean, but Mr. Eythymiou is pensive: "Indeed, there is higher demand coming from the USA importers, but we are concerned by the recent strong dockworkers' strikes all along the East Coast ports and the extremely polarized political climate before the elections. We receive good requests but we prefer to be careful in our deals to avoid losses caused by turbulent conditions."
O.P. Pyrgetos Kiwi has recently concluded its last kiwi plantation process. According to its President, the growers of the area have replanted one part of the numerous hectares that had been completely devastated by the floods caused by the strong storm of September 2023. "However, there are growers in Pyrgetos that cannot afford to set new orchards right from the beginning," concludes Mr. Eythymiou.
For more information:
Thanasis Eythymiou
Pyrgetos Kiwi
Tel: +30 24950 42946
[email protected]
https://pyrgetoskiwi.com/