Tuesday,
May 20, 2008
The
ANNOTICO Report
As
unlikely as it sounds, cultivation of the kiwi is booming in
Somewhat
improbably,
COLUMN ONE
As
unlikely as it sounds, cultivation of the kiwi is booming in
By Tracy Wilkinson, Staff Writer
May 20, 2008
Somewhat improbably,
You
don
Nevertheless, kiwi cultivation is booming, with annual production at more
than 400,000 tons, earning millions of dollars for farmers and reviving
the economy in once-moribund sections of
A kiwi plant, it turns out, adapts fairly easily to the infrastructure used
for grapes. It is planted along the same configuration of long, furrowed
rows; The thin trunk is latched to a post, and its
branches spread laterally to form a canopy, just like the grape vine. From a
distance you might not even spot the difference, except that the leaves of the
kiwi plant are rounder, fuller and a deeper shade of green.
Here in
"With grapes and wine, there is history," Cosmi,
47, said. "With the kiwi, there is adventure."
Or, what one might call the wow factor. It is quite the attention-grabber when
you say you raise kiwi, Cosmi marveled as he surveyed
the rows and rows of spindly kiwi trees covering his land.
"If you provide kiwi to the world, everyone takes note," he said.
"It is still seen as exotic and something different."
About 80% of
Even though kiwis need a lot more water than grapes, the green, tart fruit
can earn three times the profit that grapes bring in, Cosmi
said.
It requires a bit more manual labor, as well. Workers inspect the round
pre-fruit pods for the perfect shape. Those that are judged lopsided are picked
and tossed.
The fruit thrives in central
And, it
Italian kiwi took root here in
"I was looking for something new to do in agriculture ,"
said Campoli, suntanned and with thick white hair.
The tomatoes, beets and cows raised on his little family farm didn
A friend in
"I didn
That first year, he was ready to give up. He was on the verge of destroying the
first several hundred boxes of kiwi that he had grown because, traveling the
length and breadth of
Slowly, Campoli built what he assumed would be a
niche market. But, over time, business took off as the fruit
Campoli didn
The sweeter golden kiwi, unlike the green version, was patented by the
Italians are learning to love kiwi, sort of. More kiwi is eaten in Italy
than anywhere else in Europe, and per capita consumption is seven times that in
the United States. Its price has come down over the years and these days the
fruit costs only a few cents more than apples or bananas.
B ut here where it
Cosmi, the former mayor and proud kiwi grower, hopes
this will change. He is also president of the Latina Kiwi Consortium, an
umbrella grouping of the province
Italian kiwi farmers, who have a trade magazine and biannual conventions
(standing room only the last few years), plan to launch a publicity campaign
with radio and TV spots, billboards and other promotional gimmicks, Cosmi said. They will extol the fruit
"Come back in 10 years," Cosmi said,
gesturing toward the green-checkered horizon, "and it will all be
kiwi."
wilkinson@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fg-kiwis20-2008may20,0,1053314.story
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