<p>Genoa, January the 9th, 2008</p><p>KIWIS</p><p>This fruit is available 12 months around the year .</p><p>Excluded China, Italy with over 500,000 tons of kiwis is the largest producers in the world, followed by New Zealand with a potentiality over 300,000 tons.</p><p>In Italy 95% of the production is generated by the Hayward variety (Actinidia deliciosa) a green kiwi.</p><p>The "Zespri Gold", born from a cross of Actinidia chinensis and Actinidia deliciosa during the year 2000 represent presently 17-18% of the New Zealand exports.</p><p>Since short time there are other varieties on the market like: – Actinidia arguta, known as baby kiwi or grape kiwi, due to the small dimension (grape- size) and without hair. – Jin Tao, from the Actinidia chinensis, developped in Hubei (China), yellow flesh , that ripe one month earlier.</p><p>1 Worldwide kiwi cultivation</p><p>From 70,000 hectares during the beginning of the '90s nowadays 140,000 hectares are considered destined to the productions of kiwis, half of them (70,000) are in China, where the production moved from 200,000 tons in the beginning of 2000 year up to over 400,000 tons, but only abt 10,000 hectares are destined to Hayward variety.</p><p>2 The Export of Kiwis</p><p>New Zealand is the largest in the Southern hemisphere, exporting about 90% of its production, mainly to Europe (60%) and Far East (30%).</p><p>3 Chile moved from 100,000 tons in the 2000 year to over 180,000 registered during the year 2006, mostly Hayward variety (7,500 hectares under production and abt 3,000 young). The Kiwi Gold is cultivated in 140 hectares only. Chile exported during the year 2006 abt 140,000 tons, 60% to Europe.</p><p>The Northen hemisphere produced over 570,000 during the last years, sometime reaching 600,000 t. (2004 and 2006): Italy represent over 70%. Other origin are France, Greece and Iran.</p><p>4 Italy</p><p>Up to last year (2007) the total area destined to the Kiwis is over 26,000 hectares, mostly in central Italy (30% in Lazio) in the North West (20% in Piemonte) and in the central East areas (15% Emilia Romagna). The areas increased of about 3% from the 2006 versus the 2007 years.</p><p>This trend is destined to grow during the next years: in the next 3 years is possibly forecasted an increase of the total production pushing the average total italian production over the 500,000 tons per year.</p><p>About 70% of the production is exported, mostly to inside Europe (about 80%).</p><p>5 Anyhow this season several problems, mostly generated by the summer drought, caused a decreasing of the total production in comparison with the initial forecasts, bringing the final production 19% below the 2006 crop.</p><p>Vanguard International - Europe</p><p>Italy Office Phone: + 39-010-362-2525 Italy Office Fax: + 39-010-316-958 Italy Mobile: + 39-338-143-0172 Email: [email protected]</p><p>6</p>