"Guaranteed demand for grapes until mid-February"

There is a shortage on the grape market. "In South Africa, production has been severely affected by the drought and high temperatures. We are at 18-20% behind on the projected volume, as are our colleagues", says Eddy Kreukniet of the Dutch fruit and vegetable wholesaler, Exsa Europe. "We also do not expect the production in the Hex River area in South Africa, which is now going to become available, to correct this imbalance. The season began late. Experience has taught us that there are going to be more problems, not less."

"This has resulted in a good market situation. There is hardly any stock and the grapes are selling fast. We are continuously planning for the next shipment. The weather in the Netherlands has also been quite unstable lately. These two factors cause a bit of stress sometimes", continues Eddy. "Since the Netherlands and South Africa are both faced with irregular shipments, the shortage is expected to continue for the time being."

"India and Chile will soon be the most important alternatives, but their volumes are not yet of any consequence. The season in India has begun, but they will only have significant volumes in 8-9. The Chilean supply has also been delayed. The first shipment is only planned for week 7-8. The market is guaranteed to be good until mid-February", says Eddy. "We are also seeing a slight increase in the supply of Red Globes from Peru. This increase has caused prices to drop from a very high level to a more realistic one. However, in a week or so, we are expecting significantly lower volumes of these grapes."

The supplier in India
According to Eddy, these high prices are not affecting sales. "Shop prices are still at a reasonable level. Many sales campaigns are being planned, regardless of prices. It might not be the aggressive sales prices seen in other years, but they still generate sufficient sales."

Sweet Sapphire

"It is also noticeable that there are, again, more new varieties being produced than last year. With this water shortage, we deliberately chose new varieties that could be irrigated", says Eddy. "An example of this is the elongated grape, the Sweet Sapphire. This variety is still in the introduction phase in Western Europe. It is, however, in high demand in Asia as well as the United States."

For more information:
Eddy Kreukniet
Exsa Europe
Tel: +31 887 350 003
Mob: +31 620 257 811
info@exsaeurope.com
www.exsaeurope.com