The Kent kiwi: UK to grow its own version of fruit for first time



Its exotic names allude to roots on the other side of the world.



But the kiwi fruit, or Chinese gooseberry, will soon be grown in the 'Garden of England', it seems.



A fresh produce supplier from Kent is planning to have the first commercial crop of English-grown kiwis on high street shelves by 2012.



Home-grown: A farm in Kent is growing kiwifruit in the UK for the first time

So instead of being transported 10,000 miles, the popular fruit will have travelled just a short distance from the South of England. This means it will have both lower food miles and a smaller carbon footprint than imports.



Vines were imported from Italy and Greece and planted in May under an initiative by Worldwide Fruit, a leading New Zealand fruit marketer owned by Turners and Growers, and grower Fruition Producer Organisation.



Worldwide Fruit will have sole marketing rights to sell the fruit from the 1,200 green vines so far planted. There are also plans to plant gold-fleshed and red-fleshed kiwi fruit next year.



Turners and Growers has been working to deregulate New Zealand kiwi fruit exports and break the grower-controlled Zespri Group's grip on export outside Australasia.



Fruit development technologist Caroline Ashdown told FreshInfo fresh produce news website: 'We are confident UK-grown kiwi fruit will be successful in some degree as we get to understand the vines' physiology.



'They need good pollination, but do not suffer from mildew or canker like other deciduous fruit.'



The UK fresh kiwi fruit market is estimated at £20million.



The Chinese gooseberry was renamed for export marketing reasons in the 1950s. Known briefly as melonette, it was changed to kiwi fruit by New Zealand exporters.



This name comes from the kiwi, a brown flightless bird and New Zealand's national symbol, and also a colloquial name for the native people.

