Greek Kiwis Facing Early Extinction: January May Be Fruitless

Due to a confluence of factors, Greece may run out of kiwis by the end of January.

• A mild winter has reduced the crop yield by 20-25%.
• Concerns about pirate attacks in the Red Sea are prompting ships to avoid the region, disrupting exports.
• High demand for Greek kiwis has also contributed to their swift depletion.

FreshPlaza reported on the situation, quoting Christina Manossis, Sales Director at Zeus’ Marketing: “We expected to produce 300,000 tons of kiwis this year, but that’s dropped to 240,000 tons.”

With rapid sales, Manossis anticipates a complete disappearance of Kiwi from Greek markets by the end of January. “Greece has already shipped 85,000 tons in just a month and a half.” She attributes this pace to the high demand.

“While others started aggressive sales in November, we prefer a longer season and rely on our kiwis’ excellent storage quality. We’re confident we’ll still have kiwis at the end of January,” Manossis explains.

She acknowledges the potential impact of shipping disruptions on exports to Asia: “Though we haven’t neglected overseas markets, the Black Sea route issue will affect us. Fortunately, only four of our containers are currently experiencing delays. Shipping companies assure us these will be resolved within days. The main consequence will be an extended transit time of 40 days or more instead of 30.”

While inconvenient, Manossis asserts that their kiwis can withstand a month-long delay. However, she expresses uncertainty about the potential extra fees mentioned by shipping companies.