The latest market reports for kiwifruit indicate that shipments from Chile are basically finished, making way for California’s organic program. Growers in Northern California are providing fruit for Earthbound Organic Farm to bring more organic kiwis to the marketplace under the company’s Earthbound label. Production is down slightly but will improve. “We have slightly less production than our early season forecast,” says Jared Martinez, Director of Commodity Management for Earthbound Organic Farm, “however we do expect volumes to improve and remain steady all season long.”
Californian and Italian supplies will remain the primary sources, however overall supply for both conventional and organic is expected to remain lower than demand, which will result in higher than usual market prices. Martinez notes higher than normal market demand will continue for the early part of the season as a result of lower than usual supply from Italian and California crops.
Demand will be bolstered by excellent eating quality. Martinez says they’re happy with the overall quality and he expects the storage crop to remain healthy throughout the season. “Fruit quality is much stronger than previous crops and free from any early season condition or quality defects,” he says. A large portion of the kiwi fruit size profile is projected to remain smaller than typical crops, which is “ideal for bagging fruit.”
The ‘only’ challenge this year remains a common one: labor shortages. Conversely, he says market demand remains very active and he expects it to remain so for the next several months.
For more information:
Jared Martinez
Earthbound Organic Farm
Ph: (831) 625-6219