The harvest for this year's Jeju red kiwifruit has begun. It's about 20 days earlier than normal.
The greenhouse curtain system for heat retention has pushed the harvest season forward.
Joseph Kim reports.



This is a greenhouse for red kiwifruit in (애월읍) Aewol-eup, Jeju City.
The egg shaped fruit, heavily loaded on the vines, are being harvested.
They are an early maturing variety of red kiwifruit, called (홍양) Hongyang.


Standard red kiwifruit is normally harvested beginning late September. This year, the Jeju variety is being harvested 20 days earlier.


Red kiwifruit loses firmness while stored faster than other kiwi varieties.


This means that if the Jeju kiwi is shipped in October when most of the fruit is shipped nationwide, prices would drop.


To bring the harvest season forward, a curtain system was introduced for heat retention.
The system also sees the cost-benefits of heating. It reduces heating costs by 30 percent.


As Jeju red kiwifruit is harvested the earliest in the nation, prices are set high at 4,500 won per kilogram.

About 10 tons of Jeju red kiwi is expected to be produced this year.


The greenhouse curtain system introduced in an attempt to target a niche market will be tested at the fruit market.

Joseph Kim, KCTV