A shortage of imported kiwifuit earlier in the season has resulted in higher prices for California kiwifruit this year. Already into the second half of this year's harvest in California, the market is steady going into the holiday season.Prices for a container of kiwifruit from Central California have been in the mid-20s, with some fruit reaching $30.00 per container. That's significantly more than the low prices from last year, which were nearer to $12.00 for part of the season. Growers cited a dearth of imported fruit earlier in the year as a reason for the better prices. The high prices induced by that shortage carried over into the domestic season.
As of November 21, a container of Hayward 27s went for between $21.00 and $23.00, 30s were between $20.00 and $23.50, and 42s were between $15.85 and $17.00. At the Philadelphia port of entry, imported kiwifruit from Italy was between $19.00 and $20.00 for a container of Hayward 27s, between $18.00 and $20.00 for a container of 30s, and between $16.00 and $18.00 for a container of 42s.