of months left in the French kiwi season, suppliers have found a market with good demand. But there is a worry that with a freeze affecting supplies from Chile, fewer kiwis worldwide could change the buying habits of consumers and lead to less demand in the future.“Sales for kiwis in France are going fast,” said Jean-Baptiste Pinel of Prim'land. “So we expect to finish in May, which is the normal end date of the season in France.” He reported good quality as well as steady demand for fruit this season, which has contributed to the good sales. Part of the robust demand this season might be due to the fact that there are fewer kiwis coming from Chile this year because production was negatively affected by cold weather in September.
“We weren't affected so badly with the frost in Chile because we don't have a lot of plantings in the affected areas,” said Pinel. “But, though it's difficult to know the degree of the decrease, production in Chile this year could be 60 to 65 percent lower than the average annual production.” While that decrease in production can lead to higher prices and prove a short-term boon for European producers, Pinel warned that sustained gaps in production are not good for kiwi suppliers throughout the world.
“It's not good for French or Italian growers that Chile doesn't have enough kiwis,” explained Pinel. “Because if supplies of product are too low because of losses in Chile, then this means consumers can't consume kiwi fruit, so they can go to other products to compensate, and that's bad for all.”
