According to the latest Crop Report issued by Chile's Kiwi Committee, the supply of the northern hemisphere is still present and will last until the end of June, with fruit from Italy and Greece, as happened last season.
The document highlights that most of the different markets, except Europe, have changed to the offer from New Zealand and Chile. Except for a brief period in China, where there were good prices, the rest of the markets have registered lower prices than in the previous season.
According to the document, "the fact that Chile has a lower volume is not a certainty that prices will improve, as this will depend on the competition, the supply of yellow and green kiwis from New Zealand, and the varied behavior of the economies and demands by market."
Considering these circumstances, the Committee stated, there have been more dispatches to the Far East delaying the arrival to the old continent, to avoid pressuring the market.
The report adds that the 2019 season in Chile has been characterized by a rather calm harvest and, even though it is coming to its end, there still are some orchards to be collected in later areas of the Maule and Ñuble region. The dry matter is superior to the one achieved last season, which added to the low presence of rains, projects that the fruit will have a better general storage potential.
Exports
The report also states that Chilean exports have also been slower, averaging 10 thousand tons per week during the last month, and not having peaked so far.
To date (week20), the country has exported around 69 thousand tons of kiwi, i.e. 16% less than in 2018.
95% of the product exported corresponds to the Hayward variety, which decreased by 16% compared to 2018, and the remaining volume to other varieties, which decreased by 7%, influenced by the lower exports of Summer Kiwi mainly.
The Far East is the main destination for the Chilean kiwi with 28% and 19,318 tons, where the Hayward variety accumulates 17,675 tons. China absorbs 66% of the total supply for the Asian market, South Korea 12%, and India 11%, among other destinations.
Both Europe and North America have imported less than in 2018. European imports have decreased by 44%, while the North American market has decreased by 12%.
Read the Committee's Report HERE
Source: SimFRUIT with data form the Kiwi Committee's Crop Report
