Good weather last year has made for a good kiwi crop in California. But as a significant portion of kiwis are still unharvested, and with the start of the Chilean import season approaching, prices for fruit may drop.
“Prices were very good,” says Robert Maxwell of Kingsburg Orchards.
He notes that Kingsburg Orchards harvest and ship their kiwis early, and they enjoyed stable prices.
“Prices are typically pretty stable for kiwis,” he says, “because you can store them well. And overall, it was a good growing season.”
For the week of February 4th, prices for size 45 kiwis hovered around $8, prices for size 33's were around $12.
For growers who still have a lot of fruit in the fields, the amount of unharvested fruit could mean lower prices as the season progresses.
“As an industry, there are about 4.5 million tray equivalents left,” says Chris Kragie of Western Fresh Marketing. “Normally, at this point in the season, there should be about 2.5 million trays left.”
If a large portion of this year's crop is still not harvested and sold by the time the Chilean imports arrive, typically around March, then the remaining fruit won't command as strong a price.
“What will happen,” says Kragie, “is that when the Chilean season starts, the prices will keep going down.”
Both Kragie and Maxwell were also concerned how current weather might affect the kiwi season next year. With little rainfall this year, next year's season might be affected.
“Water is always a concern in California, no matter what you farm,” notes Maxwell, “but there's little snow in the mountains right now, so the water runoff that usually comes in April through July won't be there this year.”