In the 2013 season, Chile's kiwi production reached 220,000 tonnes. In the following campaign, severe frosts caused a collapse in production volumes, which dropped to 100,000 tonnes.
As previously reported by Carlos Cruzat, president of the Kiwi Committee, "the impact of such a severe frost is not limited to one season, since it affects the fertility of the buds in the following year," so production volumes won't be as high as in 2013 and should amount to around 170,000 tonnes.
This season, by week 14, Chile had exported about 11,467 tonnes of kiwis, 10,142 of which corresponded to the variety Hayward. This volume is 8% lower than that registered by the same time in the 2013 campaign.
Up to that point, the most important destination for the Chilean Hayward was North America, with 41% of the shipments, followed by the Far East with 21%. The third and fourth biggest destinations are Latin America and Russia, both with a 14.5% share. Fifth and sixth in the ranking we find Europe (excluding Russia) and the Middle East, which received 776 tonnes and 116 tonnes, respectively.
While the U.S. market always imports a lot of early fruit, which results in reduced shipments to Europe, this year the great supply of Italian kiwis and the Euro's devaluation have made the United States and the Far East much more attractive for exporters, at least during the first stage of the season.
Meanwhile, shipments of Summer Kiwis amount to 1,096 tonnes, 45% less than in the same period of the 2013 season. This variety has been mostly shipped to Latin America, which to date has received 46% of all exports, with an increase of 30% compared to 2013.
More information:
Carlos Cruzat
Kiwi Committee
T: +56 2 2472 4783
ccruzat@comitedelkiwi.cl
www.comitedelkiwi.cl
Carlos Cruzat
Kiwi Committee
T: +56 2 2472 4783
ccruzat@comitedelkiwi.cl
www.comitedelkiwi.cl