At the Horti China trade show in Shanghai, Italian kiwifruit brand Jingold officially joins the management of the Jintao variety in China. The new Goodwei brand, under which Jingold will supply Chinese consumers with kiwifruit grown under license domestically, is the fruit of cooperation between the Italian firm and Chinese government bodies. Goodwei fruit is already offered this season, with volumes expected to pick up next season. It represents a partnership between Jingold and the Wuhan Botanical Garden, a research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Origine Group in Kuala Lumpur meet supermarket and wholesale buyers; Alessandro Zampagna e Reen Nordin attending

The birthplace of the kiwifruit, China looks set to ship its kiwis to the European Union. China’s kiwi industry is developing rapidly and it can offer a range of quality varieties, like Xu Xiang. In order to gain access to the European markets, China’s exporters will have to guarantee food safety and agricultural waste standards. This will require the country’s producers to update their practices to improve quality and meet the requirements of the European Union. Oh-La International is committed to supporting farmers during this adaptation process.

Origine Group General Manager, Alessandro Zampagna, participate in Chile in the opening of the new plant of David Del Curto. “We work together to increase production maintaining quality and service”

The harvest of Zespri Kiwifruit from Northern Hemisphere orchards is well underway, with total volumes expected to reach more than 19 million trays this season.

Zespri Chief International Production Officer Sheila McCann-Morrison says the increased volumes demonstrate the progress being made on Zespri’s global supply strategy of providing consumers with Zespri Kiwifruit for all twelve months of the year.

This year’s annual International Kiwifruit Organization (IKO) was held in Bordeaux (France) from 9 to 12 September. The IKO delegates agreed on the importance of traceability of product origin and published data on production estimates for the 2018/2019 season. Excluding the yellow-fleshed kiwi, in the Northern Hemisphere (excluding China), supply is expected to reach 732,000 tons, which is 6% higher than last year’s poor harvest, but 3% below the 2014-2017 average.

This year’s Californian kiwi crop is developing well. With the main season expected to get underway in the first week of October, some gold varieties could make it onto the market by mid-September. The high summer temperatures recorded this year do not appear to have harmed the development of this year’s crop. As gold kiwi is more sensitive to high temperatures or humidity, these varieties are often placed under shades. Despite being slightly late this campaign, the fruit should be of a very good size.

According to the latest figures from the Italian Fresh Produce Service Centre (CSO), Italy’s kiwifruit production for 2017/18 is estimated at approximately 370,000 tons, 22% lower than the previous (abundant) campaign, mostly due to severe frosts in April.  Approximately 73% of Italy’s kiwifruit production is exported, 20% is consumed domestically, and 7% goes to industry.

With supplies high and sales slow of Chile’s kiwi, the South American country’s producers have identified India as a potential destination for its products. "The seasonal fruits of the Northern Hemisphere lead in many markets and this significantly affects the sales of Chilean fruit, and that’s before we mention New Zealand’s fruit. That is why the volumes exported from Chile have decreased while waiting for market conditions to improve," said the Kiwi Committee of Chile in its latest Crop Report.