Kiwifruit supplies from California have been slow-coming for the first part of the season, though shipments are expected to pick up in the coming weeks. Combined with increasing Italian imports, prices are likely to come down in the near future.
“The kiwifruit market is holding steady right now,” said Chris Kragie of Western Fresh Marketing. “But there will probably be a decline in pricing as volume increases on Italian kiwis to the East Coast.” On December 4, prices for a nine-kilogram container of loose Hayward 27s from California were between $16.50 and $19.50, and prices for a container of Hayward 27s from Italy were between $16.00 and $18.00 at Philadelphia and New York ports of entry.
“The market is just going to slide until supply meets demand,” said Kragie. “Prices could get down as low as between $10.00 and $16.00, but I think that will be the bottom.” He added that California supplies have been down this season because of a lack of water and fewer chill hours, but movement should increase in the coming weeks.
“To date, shipments have been down,” said Kragie, “but we'll probably be shipping excess amounts, so we're going to catch up.”
