President Patrizio Neri reports good quantities and prices for KiwiGold's Jingold golden kiwis.
"We are truly satisfied with how things went. A few years ago, we decided to focus on quality rather than on generic produce and we were right. We can now continue growing and innovating."
Left to right: Augusto Renella (Naturitalia), Alessandro Fornari (Jingold director), Patrizio Neri (Jingold president)
Season 2015/16 was characterised by abundant high-quality yields. "The Jintao variety reached almost 8,000 tons, double the amount of the past season, as trees were not as productive in Southern Italy due to the high temperatures during winter. There was 36% more produce than 2013," explains director Alessandro Fornari.
Jingold kiwis were sold in cooperation with Naturitalia and Alegra and the season continued until March, when the last supplies were sent to European retailers before the fruit from Chile arrived.
"We wanted to strengthen our product and brand on the main markets and develop new destinations. Europe remains the leading market for Italian Jintaos, although the share of the product sent overseas continues to grow."
Despite the general drop in quotations with respect to the past season, the Consortium still gave producers €1.75/kg for first-category fruit and even reached €2/kg for some grades.
In the meantime, Neri reports that the Consortium is planting a new red-flesh variety. "At the end of 2017, we will have planted dozens of hectares of this kind of kiwi and we are certain it will increase the value to our productions."
Red flesh kiwi
"Despite the increase in production and a very competitive market, it was still possible to maintain high performances for high-quality fruit and that with the best grade. This enables us to reach extremely positive settlements in the best markets, where the difference in price between high and standard-quality products is significant. To maintain high values, we need to continue growing fruit with good appearance and organoleptic qualities irrespective of the colour of their flesh."