Domestic apples dominated the market: Elstar, Jonagold and Boskoop predominated. Braeburn and Pinova came next, in terms of relevance. Topaz gained in importance; they were offered in Frankfurt in 120 kg large crates. Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Royal Gala were the main varieties from Italy. Demand was too low for the extensive assortment in some areas. Imports from overseas gradually disappeared from the trade.
Image: BLE
Pears
Italian Abate Fetel and Santa Maria predominated, Williams Christ rounded out the product range. Demand was not particularly strong in general. Domestically, Conference, Alexander Lucas, Williams Christ, Gute Luise and Boscs Flaschenbirne represented a large number of varieties. The Netherlands mainly participated with Conference and Gellert.
Table grapes
Italian products predominated: Italia, Crimson Seedless, Michele Palieri and Red Globe arrived most frequently. Thompson Seedless arrived from Greece. Turkish Sultana were now offered in Frankfurt almost exclusively in 5 kg wooden crates. Overall, demand was not exactly unfriendly. Nevertheless, there was a need for increased discounts to speed up handling.
Small citrus fruits
The relevance of Spanish clementines expanded considerably. These were now offered in a wide variety of packaging: 2-kg, 7-kg, 10-kg fruit boxes, double-layered or single-layered or loose, with or without leaves: the customers were spoiled for choice. As far as clementines went; in addition to the Spanish goods, a few Italian ones were also available. However, the mild weather did not boost sales at all.
Lemons
Supplies from Spain and Turkey increased. In contrast, the importance of South African batches declined. Due to the larger volumes, traders were not always able to maintain their previous prices for Spanish batches.
Bananas
Supply was sufficiently matched to the sales. As a result, sellers rarely had cause to modify last week’s prices. In Munich, the entire range increased in price a little. In Cologne, prices of third party brands from Colombia went up a little.
Cauliflower
Domestic deliveries outweighed Belgian shipments. There were occasional Dutch and Polish goods coming in as well. Their quality was not always convincing. Business was rather unexciting.
Lettuce
Regarding lettuce, Belgian and domestic offers shared the business among themselves. For iceberg lettuce, domestic, Dutch and Spanish lots were available. In some cases, all three sources were of varying quality. Locally, traders had to reduce their prices as a result of unconvincing goods. They had to reduce their prices for the variegated lettuces from Germany for the same reason.
Cucumbers
The range of cucumbers was composed of Spanish, Belgian, German and Dutch items. In particular, the presence of Spanish goods expanded, while the European competition lost some of its importance. Quality was not always convincing there.
Tomatoes
TOVs came in mainly from the Netherlands, Belgium and Turkey. In the case of beef tomatoes, Belgian goods were available almost exclusively. In the case of cherry tomatoes, Dutch goods predominated over Italian and Belgian shipments. For round tomatoes, Moroccan imports set the tone, more so than Belgian and Turkish shipments.
Sweet peppers
Slowly but surely, the season for Spanish offerings picked up. The number of imports was growing. In contrast, Dutch and Belgian products lost ground. Polish and Turkish shipments completed the trade with rather small quantities. Demand was not particularly strong and it could be satisfied without difficulty.
Source: BLE