The lychee and Victoria pineapple seasons from Reunion are starting with a delay of two weeks. This delay applies to all exotic fruit production and is due to the prolonged winter in the southern hemisphere. "The official start of the season will be at the beginning of December, right as the fruit is being put on the shelves for the festive season," explains Jean-Marc Boyer of the Boyer company.
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Lychee: a fine campaign expected
In the end, this delay could bring its share of advantages. "In concrete terms, the lychee volumes have just arrived and will be ready at the beginning of December. This means that we will have a good concentration of product for the Christmas period. Admittedly, there is a 25% shortfall in volume compared to production potential - caused by the cyclone that hit the island on February 28th - but this is still less than in the last two years, when we lost up to 75% of production. The campaign promises to be as good as that of 2022. This year, with this delay in production, we will easily be able to supply our clients with lychees at Christmas time, whereas in other years we were short of production at this key period. The quality of the fruit is also good. It rained last week, which is conducive to lychee development. On the other hand, as the season is staggered, we will also have lychees at the beginning of January, which poses more of a problem, given that there is always a 10-day drop in consumption after the festive season."
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In order to guarantee the supply of lychees at the end of December, Boyer is planning to send 100 tons of goods by cargo, in addition to air freight. This costly operation will inevitably have an impact on the final price, which will nevertheless remain more reasonable than in previous seasons marked by shortages.
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Victoria pineapple: a general drop in production
The same applies to Victoria pineapples, arriving on the market with a delay of two weeks. "By launching at the beginning of December, we are once again able to avoid the end of November, when consumption is often affected by Black Friday. The product is eagerly awaited, the market is healthy, the quality is there: all the conditions are in place for a great December campaign. We are bound to spill over into January, which is less of a problem for pineapples than for lychees, given that the fruit is less sensitive."
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In terms of quality, Victoria pineapples from Reunion still live up to expectations. On the other hand, production is lower this year. "At our level, we still have the volumes to supply our clients, as new producers have joined us this year. But the concern is more on the scale of the island. The reduction in planting and production subsidies, along with the abolition of active ingredients authorized in plant protection products are having an impact on yields. Production is therefore in decline. We are doing what we can on our side to remedy the situation, by increasing producers' remuneration for example, for which we fight every day, in order to encourage them to believe in their origin, which remains the best on the market today."
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For more information:
Boyer
Tel: +33 (0)5 63 04 15 64
[email protected]
www.philibon.com
