A clear decrease in sales of Malagasy lychees on the European market was recorded between the 18th-22nd January. The lychee newsletter from the Toamasina Horticultural Technical Centre says that “Little by little the product is no longer amongst the most consumed fruits. General bad sales have led to fruit stocking and quality has begun decreasing, notably for batches sent earlier from Madagascar”.
The decrease in sales on the European market is largely due to competition from South African fruit, which is often larger and deemed to have a better taste.
France represents the largest sales of Malagasy lychees, and a few crates of the second shipment remain, but quality is decreasing. The older lychees are selling for around €1.70-€1.80/kilo whilst more recent arrivals reach €2/kilo. Meanwhile, South African lychees, calibrated ‘L’, are sold for €2.25/kilo and ‘XL’ for €2.5/kilo. The rare ‘XXL’ fruits are sold for up to €3/kilo.
The Chinese New Year on the 8th February is still an opportunity to revive sales at the end of the Malagasy lychee season.