Greek kiwifruit exporter Zeus Kiwi expects production to increase by 15 per cent this season, but harvesting is anticipated to start up to a week later than usual, according to marketing and sales manager Christina Manossis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor those customers that want fruit at the start of November, there may be difficulties,\u201d she said, \u201cas we have to wait for the Brix to reach the right level. We need to evaluate this. It depends on the weather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Manossis, the popularity of Greek kiwifruit continues to attract traders from Italy. \u201cThere is a lot of competition at the moment,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of Italian traders are approaching growers in Greece, offering sometimes rather extravagant prices, paying in cash. Zeus Kiwi has a core of growers that we have been working with for more than 25 years, so they are very loyal to us. But this is not good for the market. We don\u2019t know if the market will accept higher prices. Italian kiwifruit is generally more expensive than Greek kiwifruit, but there\u2019s no real reason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early-season demand from Italian traders encourages premature picking, which can be a major problem, said Manossis. \u201cA lot of harvesting is happening already, which is not allowed, as the quality is not there yet,\u201d she revealed. \u201cThis can negatively impact the entire reputation of Greek kiwifruit. There are penalties for those that do this, but the authorities have already caught 20-25 growers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This campaign, the company is focused on increasing its presence in the US, Asia and Latin America. \u201cWe think there will be more opportunities this season in markets including Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand and Argentina,\u201d said Manossis. \u201cArgentina is now open for Greece, as are Thailand and South Korea. We will do all we can to send some kiwifruit to South Korea, which opened this year. It is a difficult market to penetrate, partly because they also grow their own kiwifruit, but Zeus Kiwi is built for this sort of challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n