Kiwi key fruit for Europe

Promoting the consumption of fresh fruit requires careful analysis of the sector internationally. This is why the CSO Fruit&Vegetable services centre, promoter of the Fruitness, enjoy it! project co-financed by the European Union and the Italian Government, has performed a study on one of the sector's key fruits, just coming into full season: the kiwi.

The kiwi has steadily grown in popularity from 2005 to the present day, as reflected by the Europe-wide figures (source: CSO services centre). Italy is the biggest producer amongst the EU28 states, with a total of 495,505 tonnes forecast for 2015/2016 and almost 24,450 hectares currently producing the fruit (orchards more than 2 years old). It is followed by Greece, with an estimated 170,000 tonnes, France with 60,000 and Portugal with 24,000 tonnes.

Last season, Italian kiwi exports totalled 323,000 tonnes. Amongst the main EU28 importer countries for the Italian fruit, almost all recorded growth compared to the previous year: Germany +1%, France +30%, Netherlands and United Kingdom +12%, while the quantities sold in Spain remained stable. Conversely, volumes fell slightly in Poland, Belgium, Austria and Lithuania.

The market now offers a wide range of options for kiwi lovers. As well as the traditional fruit with green flesh, there are also varieties with different coloured flesh and also a different flavour, such as the yellow kiwi.

In order to raise consumer awareness for the benefits of including kiwis into their diets, the Fruitness, enjoy it! project is to include a large number of tasting and promotion activities, scheduled from the end of November to January in major retail chains in both Germany and the UK.

For further information visit www.fruitness.eu.