The corona virus has turned the year 2020 upside down. The demand for some products completely disappeared and the demand for others exploded. “Pomegranates have actually had little or no problems with the crisis,” says Lore Van Aert of Special Fruit. "It has actually been a very stable product and we can compare the demand and supply of the year with last year."
“Turkey, Israel and Greece are currently on the market. The Spanish season ended a few weeks earlier due to the bad weather,” says Lore. “Turkey mainly supplies the Hikaz variety and Greece and Israel Wonderful. The quality of the pomegranates on the market is good. During the start of the season there were some minor problems, but they have now been solved. ”
Pomegranates of the Hikaz variety
Pomegranate seeds
Pomegranate prices are also in line with last year. “The Hikaz is at a slightly lower price level than Wonderful, but in terms of quality and taste this variety is not inferior to Wonderful. The skin of the Wonderful shines a bit more, but the demand between these varieties is almost the same. Nobody specifically asks for a variety, ”said Lore. “We have noticed that the demand for processed pomegranates, such as pomegranate seeds, has been growing considerably in recent years. Pomegranate is a difficult product to eat, but very healthy. This will only increase the demand for a convenience product. Although everyone must admit that there is nothing better than the original product. "
Egypt on the rise
“At the moment, the pomegranate market is nicely balanced. Of course there is always competition, but because the Spanish supply has disappeared, the balance between supply and demand is good. The number of production countries has been fairly stable over the years, but we notice that Egypt is on the rise. This country has pomegranates available from September to the end of the year in the well-known varieties,” Lore notes.
In a few weeks the holidays will start and according to Lore pomegranate is a popular product during Christmas. “Every year around the holidays we see an increase in demand. From week 50, we expect demand to increase significantly again. However, we have to do without the Spanish supply this year. This could cause prices to rise somewhat. Nevertheless, we expect enough product to meet the demand. ”
For more information:
Lore Van Aert
Special Fruit 
Europastraat 36
2321 More - Belgium
+32 3 3170660
Lore.VanAert@specialfruit.be
www.specialfruit.be