"Let's consider mangos. Italians prefer the really red ones like Tommy Atkins, which are more fibrous than Kent, which are tastier even though green. The same can be said for avocados: the Hass variety tends to become dark when ripe and it's one of the best in the world...still, Italy only buys green ones like Pinkerton or Arad."
In the case of pineapples, the appearance prevails. "Even though some countries are starting to introduce pineapples without tops, Italians do not want to know about them. Once, we received a load of pineapples with short crowns and we had to sell them off as nobody wanted to buy them. This happens even though leaves represent 20% of the weight of the fruit and they get thrown away, so we cannot exactly say people are looking to spend less."
Drop in mango sales
As with every year, the arrival on the market of peaches, nectarines and other summer fruit leads to a drop in sales of mangos, as consumers see it as an alternative to stonefruit.
"Mangos from Peru, Santo Domingo, Ivory Coast and Mali are still doing well. The produce arrives by plane and prices hover around €5.50/kg. The price of mangos shipped via sea is €1.80/1.90/kg."
Keitt mangos.
Between 1st April and 15th May 2014, we have recorded a 78% increase in the sale of mangos arrived by plane with respect to 2013 and prices remained the same. The sale of produce shipped via sea also increased, though prices dropped by 15%.
Kent mangos.
At times like these, it is weird that the most expensive mangoes are selling more than the cheaper ones. I just gather data, but maybe a thorough analysis ought to be carried out."
Lime - high prices do not deter everyone
The fact that the market is still able to absorb produce at high prices is confirmed by the case of limes. Prices skyrocketed because of a significant drop in supply.
"The situation is really complicated over here as, once a certain price has been reached, demand simply ceases. The same cannot be said for Northern Europe as limes are still sold at €16 per package. Good for them!"
Contacts:
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