Kiwifruit Situation For Selected Countries |Selected country
kiwifruit production declined marginally in 1998/99. Production
in the Northern Hemisphere was up 4 percent, due primarily to a
13 - percent increase in Italian output. Selected country
kiwifruit exports in 1998/99 are forecast to increase by 1
percent to 577,300 tons. Italy accounts for most of the increase
in exports. U.S. kiwifruit production in 1998/99 is forecast
down 1 percent, to 31,389 tons. The industry estimates a
commercial packout of 28,577 tons. The quality of the U.S. crop
is excellent and the fruit size is consistently larger. U. S.
exports in 1998/99 may account for 20 percent of the packout
compared to 13 percent the year before and are expected to be up
6 percent. U.S. kiwifruit imports in 1998/99 are expected to
remain near last years level.| Production in the Northern
Hemisphere accounts for over 55 percent of world production.
Italy is traditionally the worlds largest producer and by far
the largest exporter in the Northern Hemi