The arrival in Spain of the first shipment of kakis exported by Paraguay to Europe, which follows other off-season shipments already made from the region by countries such as Peru and Uruguay, has been followed with interest by the Spanish sector.
"There are starting to be more exports from Latin America. We ourselves have seen some opportunities to work there, but for now, the volumes are very small," says Fernando MartÃ, of Morondo. "This growth in the off-season supply is very good news, because it will help make kakis more popular and will encourage consumption, although we cannot forget that the key factor to make this possible is the condition in which the fruit arrives."
"What matters most is that a good quality product reaches the market in order to prevent harm to the Spanish autumn season, since the consumer may associate poor quality with the product itself. For this reason, kaki importers should also be specialists in its export."
"The experience we have gained in Spain in general, and in the Region of Valencia in particular, in all aspects, from the fruit's cultivation to the preservation processes for export, is something other origins don't have, so European and Spanish importers should provide advice to exporters in the countries of origin to ensure the market receives quality fruit," says Morondo's commercial director.
The company is, in fact, one of Valencia's leading kaki production companies. It is specialized in its export and works regularly and successfully with overseas destinations such as Canada, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong or Malaysia. "You also need to work to keep prices at good levels," he says. "Even more so in the case of imports, in this case from Paraguay, as there are high transport costs. But a great price can only go hand in hand with great quality. This is something that Morondo is well aware of."
It is worth recalling that Spain is, by far, the world's largest exporter, with turnover doubling that of the next country in the ranking: Azerbaijan. Spain is also the leading supplier in Europe. In 2021, 90% of kaki imports from EU countries came from Spanish fields, which gives not only an idea of the high seasonality linked to its consumption, but also of the great potential there is for the off-season period.
"One factor to be taken into account is how the consumer is going to respond to kakis in the spring/summer period," says Fernando. The 250,000 kilos exported by Paraguay will reach the market at the very beginning of the stone fruit, watermelon and melon seasons, with which it will have to compete.
"In fact, we have already started with the stone fruit season. We are specialists in kakis, but also in stone fruit, with which we have been working for 30 years, producing both in Murcia and in the Region of Valencia."
"This year there has been some decline in the early production, especially in Murcia, but we expect a good quality fruit with which we are going to be able to supply all our wholesale customers and supermarket chains across Europe."
"We have already started with flat peaches and apricots, on which we are betting strongly when it comes to stone fruit. We are working with cutting-edge varieties with increasingly higher quality and flavor standards."
For more information:
Morondo S.L.
Pol. Industrial Parcela M22
46814 La Granja de la Costera, Valencia, Spain
Tel. +34 96 225 44 11
jamarti@morondo.com
www.morondo.es