Papaya Formosa is mainly transported to Europe by air
Quality problems at the source
In the warehouse of the Ingmar Heuer GmbH at the Hamburg wholesale market one can find fresh flight papaya from Brazil all year round. Currently, however, the quantities are rather limited. "Due to large fluctuations between nighttime and daytime temperatures, the producers in the Natal region of northern Brazil are struggling with quality problems, especially regarding the coloration of the fruit. As a result, there is now some scarcity of goods,'' says Heuer.
At the same time, undersupply increases the relevance of local sales markets. "The fruits that are there can currently be sold at high prices on the Brazilian domestic market, which is why only small quantities arrive on the European market." However, it will not necessarily come to an inevitable supply gap. Prices, too, tend to be stable, confirms Heuer.
Interesting market niche
In the long term, papaya still gains importance in the German trade every year. Despite numerous attempts with secondary varieties such as the Golden and Maradol from alternative growing areas like Costa Rica, Mexico and the Canary Islands, the Brazilian Formosa remains far ahead, according to Heuer. ''There is no better variety in terms of taste. Meanwhile, the Formosa is also increasingly found in organized food retail, for example, as a halved fruits. I have to say that one only resort to air freight goods, because only that way one can meet the demand for a quality product.''
Chinese pomelos
Ingmar Heuer is Managing Director of the fruit import and wholesale business of the same name. He is a long-standing specialist in the field of exotics and overseas goods. Since the company was founded in 2000, its circle of customers has been expanding and now the company supplies, among other things, wholesalers and retail branches throughout Germany, as well as in Switzerland, Belgium and Scandinavia. Apart from well-known exotic fruits such as mangos and avocados, pomelos are also part of the product portfolio. "We are currently sourcing the fruits from Vietnam, but in a few days we expect the first arrivals from China," concludes Heuer.
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