Kiwifruit: The Italian connection

Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

As much as a quarter of the kiwifruit we eat comes from abroad.

A demand for freshness means kiwifruit is shipped in for three months of the year.

The majority comes from Italy, although that market has been affected in its last two seasons by severe strains of crop disease.

The last of New Zealand's 2010-produced kiwifruit left for international markets this week.

NZ Kiwifruit Growers Association chief Mike Chapman said that if New Zealand did not import fruit, supermarket shelves would be empty of kiwifruit by January.

"We need Italian or imported fruit to see us through the summer hole."

Over a year New Zealanders ate around 6 million trays of locally-grown kiwifruit and 2 to 3 million trays of imported kiwifruit.

A handful of importers such as Freshmax and Carter and Spencer Group bring in the kiwifruit which is sold primarily to supermarkets.

Freshmax division manager Tracey Burns said some local growers were upset that imported product was sold in New Zealand, but they were unaware of the commercial demand for the freshest fruit.

"Not all growers agree with it but they don't realise that retailers want a product on their shelf for 52 weeks of the year, irrespective of the supply origins. We must always have a fresh kiwifruit to sell."

"New Zealanders just need to go to their supermarket shelves to see the point of origin labels, as see where apples come from, our mandarins and oranges, all of our bananas - it's standard to import them."

New Zealand began importing kiwifruit in 1998 to supplement local produce. Today, even signature New Zealand brands such as gold kiwifruit are grown in Lazio, Italy.

The vast majority of fruit from New Zealand's 140 million vines heads overseas. Zespri, the largest exporter in the country, sent 106 million trays of kiwifruit overseas in 2009.