California Kiwifruit Commission

In September 1979, the State of California established the California Kiwifruit Commission, a state agency operating under the authority of the California Department of Food & Agriculture. The purpose of the Commission is to allow producers to collectively work toward building a successful industry. Important functions of the Commission are: consumer promotion and advertising in domestic and foreign markets; education of wholesale and trade on proper handling and selling; analysis and utilization of market data; contracting for cultural research to assist with growing, storing, handling, etc.; dissemination of important information and statistics; speaking as a collective voice for the industry.

The California kiwifruit industry consists of approximately 320 producers and 50 marketers. There are currently 4,300 acres of kiwifruit in production at an estimated FOB value around US$30,000,000.