If we compare the kiwi sector to a car, we can say that the past season raced by at 100 km/h while, this year, the speed is 10 km/h. "The campaign is slow due to the way the previous campaign ended and stagnant consumption. In addition, the seasons in Chile and New Zealand, which usually end in August, will extend until December," reports Domenico Spagnolo from OP Spagnolo in Reggio Calabria, adding that "there is little room for the Italian production."
The PO started selling golden kiwis in the best Italian supermarkets on Monday 8th October. "As they ripen early, it's easier to place them on the Italian market. But our business focuses mainly on exports, which are very slow."
Domenico stresses that, usually, the first exports are destined to New York, which requires medium-grade Hayward kiwis that are not too dark. The FDA carries out strict checks. Other export markets are Canada, Brazil and California.
"At the moment, however, we've only reached 10% of the past campaign and won't start exporting before December. Hayward kiwis are actually ready to be harvested as the less torrid and rainy summer meant ripening was around 10 days early. In addition, Brix level is ideal, but demand is not enough to justify us harvesting in this period. Anyway we'll start harvesting around mid-November to avoid the bad weather."
Citrus fruit
Citrus fruit is also early. The harvesting of common clementines should start next week. "Volumes are confirmed year after year, yet unfortunately prices are stagnant. The problem is that costs increase and clients are more and more demanding. We try to add value to the product all the time and invest in new packaging but, in the end, prices remain the same."
As stressed by Domenico, the trend over the past few years is to opt for smaller packets.
"At the moment, we're selling our golden kiwis in punnets with 3 fruits for 210 grams in total. As for citrus fruit, we went from 2 kg to 750 gram nets. Italian families have changed over time: they are now smaller and try to avoid waste. In the end, the focus is not on saving but on constant repurchases."
Contacts:
Domenico Spagnolo
OP Spagnolo
II Zona Industriale
89026 San Ferdinando (RC)
Tel.: +39 (0)966 773863
Fax: +39 (0)966 780002
Email: info@opspagnolo.com
Web: www.opspagnolo.com