One-seventh of overseas vegetables to Netherlands
The SH countries together account for one-fifth of world exports of citrus / topfruit. In pears, the share is the largest and in grapefruit the smallest (see Table 1).
Holland is indeed an important trade hub for fresh fruit, but only one-seventh of overseas vegetables goes to the Netherlands. Of the export of the SH seven countries, 14% heads to the Netherlands. The Dutch share is greatest in the export of fruit from Brazil, i.e., more than 40%.
Oranges: mainly from South Africa
Oranges are the main product from the group citrus / topfruit imported from overseas. Last year an amount of 220,000 tons was shipped. After continuous growth (in 2008 almost 270,000 tons was imported), recent years have seen somewhat of a decline. In the total import, SH oranges represent a small half.
South Africa is by far the main SH supplier, with an amount of 180,000 tons in 2012. Uruguay is second with a volume of 18,000 tons. Argentina is in third place with 15,000 tons (see Table 3).
Import SH apples declined steadily
Apples are the second product imported from overseas. After a strong growth in the import of SH apples in 2005 (up to 260,000 tons) this number then steadily declined to only 133,000 tons in 2012.
Only 60,000 tons was imported from Chile in 2012, as opposed to 75,000 tons in 2011 and 100,000 tons in 2006. A similar trend is also seen in import from New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Brazil (Table 3).
Lemons: Growing import from overseas
Lemons are the third product for SH countries. Considerably more lemons are imported in the Netherlands from overseas than from other countries. Since 2008 there is an end to the growth in imports. In 2012, as well as 2008 and 2010, the amount came down to120,000 tons on a total of 180,000 tons. Argentina is the main supplier of overseas lemons, followed by Brazil and South Africa.
Import SH pears in 2012 under 100,000 tons
Last year a quantity of 100,000 metric tons of SH pears was imported. After a record year in 2011 with 130,000 tons, this meant a sharp decline. South Africa is the main supplier and delivered 55,000 tons last year, 10,000 less than before. Relatively speaking, the decline in imports from Argentina is much higher, in 2011 it was still 48 000 tons, but in 2012 it was less than 30,000. Imports from Chile fell to 24,000 tons.
Grapefruit: Little overseas
In regard to the import of grapefruit, SH countries with a quarter of the total play a relatively minor role. Around 2005 the proportion was 25%, but after that the imports from other countries rose sharply while imports of SH grapefruit remained unchanged. Incidentally, the overseas grapefruit is almost entirely a South African product.
Not much soft fruit from overseas
The import of overseas soft fruit is the least important. Last year the import amounted to 42,000 tons. That was slightly less than in previous years. Moreover, overseas product plays a minor role in the total distribution.
South Africa is again the most important supplier, followed by Argentina and Uruguay. For South Africa, clementines represent the main soft citrus variety. Argentina provides both varieties and other ones.
The import season of citrus and stone-fruit from overseas is, globally speaking, six months behind the products from our region. For example, the SH season for oranges begins in June, when our production is starting to thin out. The import of SH apples begins in March, but unlike oranges, the import of our produce does not diminish.
