The Spanish Hayward kiwi harvest is expected to start in the regions of Galicia and Asturias, main production areas, in the last week of October. This season, production is expected to reach approximately 20,000 tonnes.
"In July we thought the harvest would be delayed by the high temperatures, but in August the weather conditions changed, so eventually we hope to start harvesting in late October, as usual. However, we will not get the product to market until December, as it must first be kept in cold storage for it to reach the appropriate Brix," explains Pedro Varela, of the technical and commercial department of the Galician company TC Fruits.
"We will reach a similar production volume as last year, about one million kilos, but this season there will be more small sizes," he points out. "This will affect the price of the larger sizes, which will surely be more expensive, while small calibres won't be affected, since they are the most popular and don't normally register many changes due to the approach of the supply chains," he adds.
Spanish Hayward kiwis will reach the Spanish domestic market competing with Italy, Greece and France. "In Spain, domestic kiwis typically surpass the Italian and Greek fruit in terms of price. Higher prices are paid because of the higher quality of Spanish kiwis at this time," he affirms.
Spain is, by far, the main consumer of kiwis in Europe. According to Pedro Varela, "consumption is registering a growing trend, and we especially notice the greater specialisation of consumers, who are increasingly looking for quality and are willing to pay for it, and this is something that benefits us greatly, given the differences between Spanish and Italian and Greek kiwis."
However, competition with France is more complicated, according to Varela, "both because of its high quality as well as the large volumes available, which makes it difficult to expand in the export markets."
