The Ramadan campaign went "very well" for Tunisian dates, said Abdelhamid Nasri, Tunisian date producer and general manager of Afrimex: "We were able to achieve our sales targets and exceed the volumes exported at the same period last year."
Ramadan sales are characterized this year by a novelty in the European markets, said Nasri: "traditionally, we sell most of our volumes in Europe through ethnic markets of Muslim populations. This year, for the first time, we sold more through supermarkets than ethnic markets. This is good news, as it gives our dates more visibility and allows us to reach more consumers outside the Muslim communities and Ramadan period."
Afrimex was able to take advantage of this trend thanks to its presence in Europe, said Nasri: "We have better access to European supermarkets than our competition since we have a branch in Germany, which allows us to better control the quality, reduce our costs and be in permanent contact with our clients."
Unsurprisingly, the most popular variety of Tunisian dates this year is the Deglet Nour, adds Nasri: "The Deglet Nour has accounted for 85% of the volumes of the campaign of Ramadan, Allig made up for 15%.
In terms of markets, Nasri reported: "Demand from Far East countries has been slower than expected, perhaps due to political transitions in this region. We also had less volume exported to Latin America. On the other hand, demand from the European and African markets has increased, and we have exported to some countries for the first time. Demand from the Middle East remained stable."
Although produced throughout the year, the sale of dates is marked by two seasonal peaks: the month of Ramadan and the New Year, adds Nasri. "In the case of Afrimex, the month of Ramadan corresponds to 20% of volumes sold annually."
For more information:
Nasri Abdelhamid
Afrimex
Tel. : +216 96 615 510
a.nasri@afrimex.net
www.afrimex.net