Fabio continues: “Last year we had a huge problem because of the lack of water. This year, we've had a little bit more rain than usual. People says it's the El Niño year, which results in more water in the areas which normally struggle with drought. Still, it has been a difficult first semester. As normally, if there is more rain, producers should invest more in taking care of their land and crops. There are higher production costs, while the prices producers received for their fruit were low. Therefore, we’ve seen some quality issues in the beginning of this year. I expect that as soon as demand rises in September approximately, the source will be back to normal and we'll be ready for the bigger volumes.”
The papaya is mainly exported to the United States and Europe. “We don’t send it to Asia, because this is where papaya originally comes from. South Asia has a lot of papaya available and several varieties. It is impossible for Brazil to compete in this market. Our export from Interfruit goes up to Dubai.”
“We expect a good season for the tropicals from Brazil. Brazil offers papaya year round, nevertheless the best window for exporting to Europe is from September to May. We depend on the weather in Europe, as it’s spring time in May. If there is some stone fruit in the market, demand automatically decreases. European people prefer own production during these months”, explains Fabio.
He concludes that the only tropical that gains power during the European summer months are limes. “There is a big demand for limes from especially Brazil and Mexico. However, I believe Brazil exports higher volumes to Europe. Mexico exports their greatest volumes to the United States. For now the papaya is in its winter period, which means normal volumes for the golden papaya. The prices are stable and not being pushed by the local market.”
For more information.
Fabio de Oliveira Gomes
Interfruit Alimentos
Brazil
T: + 55 (11) 2366-7406
E: fabio@papaya.com.br
www.papaya.com.br