As for competition from less expensive Spanish strawberries, Mr Hascoet says that ''It is always a worry because they are present in terms of volume and tend to pull down prices''. However he continues, ''What worries me is what the Spanish producer is earning. There are packaging and transportation costs, what is the Spanish producer making if they're sold at €1.50? He has given away his strawberries''. At such low prices, it is unclear how Spanish producers earn money and Mr Hascoet suggests that maybe they are sending overflow stock to France?
They are also not the same variety of strawberry, gariguettes are full of flavour whilst Spanish strawberries are ''big, round, but do not have much taste''. However he believes that there is room for both products on the market.
Spanish strawberries prices are low because ''The consumer knows that they are not worth 10€/kilo'' and would not want to pay more. There are some consumers who will never buy Spanish strawberries because the flavour and quality does not suit them. However, it enables households on small budgets to consume strawberries at a lower price."
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