The Persimon kaki campaign is practically finished; earlier than usual, due to the great fall in the marketable production recorded this year (by more than 50%) as a result of the impact of frost and hail.
On the left, Cirilo Arnandis, president of the PDO Kaki Ribera del Xúquer. On the right, Rafael Perucho, manager of the same PDO
"Of the 43 million kilos of kakis that we expected to sell this year, we have only been able to market 21 million kilos," explains Cirilo Arnandis, referring to the Canso cooperative, which he chairs. The also head of the PDO Kaki Ribera del Xúquer and Cooperativas Agroalimentarias of the Region of Valencia says that "although prices have been higher compared to last season, they have not compensated for the lack of volumes and the production costs, taking into account that more fruit selection tasks have been needed."
The marked drop in the production volumes this campaign has also forced exporters to prioritise and serve their most important customers. "Due to the circumstances this campaign, we have not been able to export much kaki to third countries," says Cirilo Arnandis.
However, if the right weather conditions are recorded for the next season, the production could reach 600,000 tons, so the sector will need to have as many more markets as possible in order to sell all its kakis."
"Soon we'll need markets like China, where they are already quite familiar with kakis and the buying potential is huge," he concludes.
For more information: d.o.kaki@kakifruit.com