South Africa’s Dori kiwifruit exports are expected to double last year’s numbers when the industry first exported it, according to technical manager of The Kiwi Connection (TKC), Roelof du Toit.
“It’s still really early in the season but we’re expecting higher yields and better sizes than last season. Last year we exported around 100 tonnes of our first Dori kiwis to Europe and other markets. This year we aim for a doubling of that,” he said.
This season they will also have commercial volumes of red kiwifruit available for export. Du Toit said they were still laying out a marketing plan for the red kiwis.
The first kiwis will be available from week seven next year, kicking off with Skelton kiwifruit from Nelspruit in Mpumalanga in late February, then followed by early product from areas in KwaZulu Natal and Magoebaskloof in Limpopo Province.
Products from the Western Cape, southern Cape and KwaZulu Natal take the season through to the start of April.
The Kiwi Connection intended to offer the whole colour spectrum of kiwi varieties locally and for export, he added.
The shelf life of kiwifruit is three to four months, so sea freight is suitable.
