The profitability of the kiwis that are cultivated in the Region of Valencia was compromised by the irresponsibility of certain commercial operators, who started harvesting the fruit at an absolutely premature stage, as verified in recent days by the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA) -ASAJA). "This is an unacceptable practice, because the kiwis are still green and do not meet the minimum quality and ripeness requirements demanded by the markets. Consequently, when that product reaches the points of sale, it will disappoint the expectations of consumers and damage the reputation of the kiwis from Valencia, which will logically cause prices to plunge," says a representative from the agricultural association.
The most suitable time for the harvest of the Hayward kiwis that are grown in some areas of Valencia is mid-October, since that is when they reach perfect levels of sugar and dry matter. Therefore, "any attempt to try reaching the markets earlier than the competition is a nonsense that can have serious consequences for the rest of the Valencian kiwi operators and producers, who in their vast majority adhere to strict criteria, acting professionally and responsibly," they point out.
AVA-ASAJA believes that although the premature harvesting of fruit is always a practice to be frown upon, it is even worse in the case of kiwis, because it is an emerging crop of recent implantation in the Region of Valencia, and which currently has excellent commercial prospects. Indeed, the tropical fruit started gaining ground in Valencia only a few years ago and is grown mostly in a few locations in the province of Valencia, such as Torrent, Picassent, Carlet, Montserrat or Llíria.
At present, the total acreage stands at about 150 hectares and its production (the previous season was the first with significant volumes of Valencian kiwis in the market) amounts to around 2.5 million kilos. Although the initial investments required, as well as the production costs, are high, the prices paid for the fruit (around 70 cents per kilo at origin) can be considered acceptable, especially taking into account the discouraging overall situation of Valencian agriculture.
AVA-ASAJA understands that "it would be unforgivable for these favorable prospects for the crop to be truncated by irresponsible practices. For this reason, it is urging the inspection services of the Council of Agriculture to do their best to stop them."