"Ecuador: "China has plenty of potential for Ecuadorian dragon fruit"

The production of exotic fruits, like dragon fruit and passion fruit, for their export to Asia continues to grow, mainly due to the preference that this continent's residents have for unconventional flavours. Ana Cecilia Andrade, of FLP, tells us about the current situation of Ecuadorian dragon fruit. "It is a fruit that is widely consumed in this market. Our fruit is much sweeter than the one they are used to and its supply is slightly more stable than that of Colombia. Asia is a market with great potential; many customers no longer wish to receive fruit of Colombian origin after they have tried our range, which is opening a market window for us, Ecuadorian producers."

While this fruit's production is constant, in recent years we have seen variations in the production cycle as a result of climate change. "Over the last few years, there has been a strong harvest of the national variety in February and March in the eastern area. Normally, the fruit does not have a season; so far, it hasn't been possible to determine the exact season. We mainly depend on the weather and the flowering. At the moment, we are in low season, but in October the harvest is expected to increase and by November we should reach a high production peak," affirms the spokesperson.

"Given that this season we'll have a lot of fruit available, we are beginning to organise promotions in the Asian market. Hong Kong and Singapore are still considered as the markets with the greatest potential, but the agreement for the export of dragon fruit to China is expected to become a reality by the middle of next year, opening a very profitable business window for Ecuador. Because of this, we are really looking forward to taking part in the Asia Fruit Logistica fair. We will be presenting our company and products to this market at Hall 3C stand T-17," highlighted Andrade.

For more information:

Ana Cecilia Andrade
FLP Latinoamerican Perishables del Ecuador
Tel: + 593 994781800
aandrade@flp-int.com