Japan exports more kiwifruit

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 2

Japan exports more kiwifruit

NZJN Tokyo Japan plans a kiwifruit export campaign to boost sales in Europe, a big New Zealand kiwifruit market.

So far, about six Japanese companies have shipped kiwifruit to Europe but the small size of the shipments has indicated that the European orders have been for either trials or samples. The Japan Federation of Horticultural Associations has announced plans to set up an export committee to increase and co-ordinate sales to Europe. It hopes to send 640 tonnes of kiwifruit to European markets from

this year’s domestic crop. Japan’s export drive is not expected to jeopardise New Zealand sales in the short-term, as Japan’s 640tonne export target, for example, compares with New Zealand sales of about 25,000 tonnes of kiwifruit to Europe last year. However, it may indicate that Japanese growers believe their home market, which takes more than a third of New Zealand’s total crop, is in danger of saturation.

Japan estimates its kiwifruit crop this year at 20,072 tonnes, up 67 per cent on last year.