South African growers who took the plunge and invested in the production of yellow kiwis are now seeing the rewards in their own orchards.
Local excitement around green kiwis fizzled out some 20 ago.
However, kiwis have found a foothold in South Africa, says Peter Turner, director of Variety Innovations BV, which represents the Soreli kiwi variety in South Africa.
Commenting on the domestic gold kiwi season that started in mid-February and ends in early May, Turner said: “We now have bona fide, validated proof of concept that yellow kiwis can provide year-on-year sustainable crops with good export quality, sound arrivals, which give good returns to growers.
“Within our Soreli grouping we have a group of growers who put their hands up a few years ago, who went through the process of learning how to grow kiwis, and they are now reaching a point where they feel many of their concerns are addressed and controlled,” he says.
“There’s a buoyant feeling among older growers that their choice of Soreli and other varieties is being validated.”
A recent field day in Waboomskraal, Western Cape – an ideal locality for green and gold kiwi production in South Africa – attracted excellent attendance, almost 90 participants, both in person and virtual.
It is natural that gold kiwis and their good returns would be attracting much interest, but Turner spends a lot of his time turning growers away, those who aren’t in the right climates, perhaps, or sometimes those coming from extensive agricultural production and unused to the intensity of kiwi farming.
“Kiwi is an unforgiving product if you don’t keep up to date with its requirements. In other crops, growers can fix a problem later, but with kiwi you never catch up again, you need to be on your toes.” – Source: FreshPlaza
