He reports that “this year, South Africa exported 13 million boxes (with 50% going to Europe), compared to 11 million last year, and Chile went from 20 million boxes in 2014 to between 30 and 32 million boxes in 2015, which is why prices weren’t ideal for certain varieties, although they were still good for red and black plums.”
He affirms that, in terms of quality, the fruit from both Chile and South Africa was satisfactory, although “calibres moved towards the extremes, with plenty of small or large sizes. The problem was that Europe prefers the medium, and normally the large sizes go to Russia, and with the ban, European re-exports have been affected. Chilean exporters have also not shipped a lot to Russia directly because of the payment conditions.”
On the other side of the scale, Fernando states that “the lack of Brix issue that affected the early harvest last season, and which led to plenty of rejections, has been addressed this year. This season exporters waited for the right sugar conditions, and some even asked us to store the fruit at higher temperatures than normal to ensure greater softness and colour. This is a trend extending also to mangoes and avocados.”
For Exsa Europe, the most important market for stonefruit is the Netherlands, which accounts for 60-70% of the shipments “Other important markets are Germany and Belgium, and the rest is exported to Scandinavia, Spain or Italy,” states Fernando.
Europe, according to Fernando, is a continent that likes stonefruit, as it has countries like Spain, France or Italy that are large producers. “That is why consumers normally demand the products year-round, leading us to believe that the industry has a bright future here.”
For more information:
Fernando Dupuis
EXSA Europe B.V.
Tel: +31 887 350 008
fernando.dupuis@exsaeurope.com
www.exsaeurope.com