In general, the exotic fruit market is fairly quiet from September to November. At the moment, however, the market for most products is generally quite stable. “It all depends on the size of the supply,” explains Guy Lesvenan of Miles Import.
High demand for oranges from South Africa
“The market is very strong for oranges from South Africa. Around the same number of oranges were exported to Europe as last year. There was therefore a reasonable supply and demand was strong throughout the summer, especially for juicing oranges from Valencia. We were dealing with record prices and had a stock shortage as standard. The high demand is also associated with the corona virus.”
The last large consignments of oranges from South Africa will arrive next week. “The demand for oranges has decreased somewhat. This has led to a price drop of 10%. However, the market remains solid and stable. The sale of juicing oranges from Valencia to purchasing centres and supermarkets will be completed at the end of November.”
Empty market for the pomelo
Another important product for Miles Import is the pomelo from Mexico. Guy indicates that there is very little supply. “The market is almost empty. We only receive half of the ordered batches, because the many downpours in the growing area in mid-September caused quite a few problems. By the time a boat arrives, everything will be sold within 24 or - in the worst case - within 48 hours.” The lack of products does generate constant prices between € 16 and 18 for the good sizes and between € 12 and € 14/15 for the smaller sizes.
“Israel has also started to export smaller batches. These are batches of very early grapefruits that were harvested before they were ripe. However, because the market is empty, everything is sold. Spain and Turkey will also start their season soon. ”
In addition to Mexican grapefruit, Miles Import also offers Chinese grapefruit. “We started marketing three weeks ago. Initially, the fruit was not fully ripe, but the yield of marketable grapefruit had already been much higher in the last 10 days. As with orange, the market is solid and stable. The prices are between 10 and 12 € per box of 12 kilos. Even larger parties will arrive in the coming weeks. ”
More supply and less demand for limes
According to Guy, the lime market has both ups and downs. “The situation was exceptional in April and May. There was a lack of supply. At the same time, limes were in high demand due to the coronavirus, especially during the lockdown. Prices fell slightly during the summer, but the market remained stable. For the past 14 days, we have had the feeling that the situation has toughened. Prices have fallen and demand is less good because the weather is not so good. In addition, the supply has increased in the past few weeks, with more limes from Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. ”
Lack of avocados
Miles Import currently offers avocados from Mexico, Colombia and Kenya. The avocado market is very strong. “There has been very little supply in the past two weeks. The season is coming to an end in Peru. There are often large sizes on the market and there is a high demand for medium and small sizes. There are also very few imported avocados on the market from Chile, where the batches are smaller than last year's. Chile is benefiting from the situation in the domestic market and the US markets where the demand for avocados is very high. Chile does not have to export much to Europe for this reason. This is felt in all European markets and leads to very high prices. In response, Mexico is selling avocados to make up for the shortage in Europe. The market is willing to pay a high price for this and is really very strong at the moment. ”
The situation in the pineapple market is improving
“Last week it was still difficult to get rid of our pineapple. This week the parties are smaller. This is immediately noticeable in the situation on the market, which is already a lot better. There are currently strikes in Costa Rica and this will still affect the situation for the parties in two weeks' time. As a result, prices will only increase more in the next 14 days."
For more information:
Miles Import 
5 rue de la Corderie
94550 Chevilly-Larue
France
g.lesvenan@milesimport.com
www.milesimport.com