Galicia continues to be Spain's biggest producer of kiwifruits with more than 16,000 tons per year. It has an estimated area of about 700 hectares, which includes the areas from professional producers and of those who engage in this activity in a complementary manner.
Currently, there are a total of 87 farms in the community dedicated to the cultivation of kiwi, strawberry, and blueberries. Forty eight of them grow kiwis, 27 strawberry, and 12 blueberries. This type of production is mainly located on the Atlantic provinces, due to climatic conditions. A Coruña has a total of 39 crops, Pontevedra 36, Lugo only 7, and Ourense 5.
In this same line, kiwi is paradigmatic. Pontevedra has up to 27 farms, 56.2% of the Galician total, and A Coruña has another 16 (33.3%), while Lugo only has 5, and Ourense doesn't have any. Thus, the Atlantic provinces concentrate almost 90% of the area.
Spain started cultivating kiwi in 1969. The first plantations were located in Galicia, more specifically in the Gondomar and Tui areas. Currently, there are two professional fruit and vegetable organizations (Horsal and Kiwi Atlántico, which were legally recognized in 2009 and 2012, respectively) operating in the community. Both of them are located in the province of Pontevedra.
Source: diariodelemos.es