The Spanish kiwifruit season is ending in Galicia and Asturias. The latest stocks are expected to be sold in the course of this month.
"It has been a season with high returns and a good balance in the sizes available, which has resulted in stable and reasonable prices for all calibers," says Cristóbal Monteagudo, director of TCFruits. This company is devoted to the cultivation and sale of kiwifruit, among many other products. TCFruits sells in both Spain and other European countries, as well as in North America and Africa.
According to Cristóbal, the prices for large sizes are always higher than those of the small sizes, although he states that in recent years, the smaller kiwis have "become more valuable thanks to the demand from supermarkets for small size packages. Moreover, certain African countries are demanding more and more small-sized kiwis."
He stresses that there are also changing trends in kiwifruit consumption. "Large supermarket chains are changing their requirements with regard to the ripeness and hardness of the fruit. They are looking for ready-to-eat products, so that the consumers don't have to wait until the product is ripe enough."
The domestic market is of great importance for the kiwifruit sales of this Galician company. "Spain, the European country with the highest kiwifruit consumption per capita, has the capacity to consume all kiwis grown in the country; however, it is not easy to compete in terms of prices and volumes with suppliers such as Italy, Greece, France and New Zealand. We ship the largest, highest quality kiwis to the European export markets," says Monteagudo.
While Galicia and Asturias are the most important growing regions, with a marketing period that goes from December to May, kiwifruit has also been cultivated in Valencia for several years. The volumes there are however still very limited. The focus is mainly on early fruit, since the kiwis are mostly sold between September and November. In general, the kiwifruit acreage in Spain remains stable, with a slight annual growth.
For more information:
Cristóbal Monteagudo
TC FRUITS
T: (+34) 902.006.975
cristobal@tcfruits.com
www.tcfruits.com