Belgium: ''Cooking bananas are quo consumption comparable to potatoes''

Starfruit is the Belgian leader in exotic fruits and vegetables. In recent years there is a clear increase in demand for exotic fruit. How is that with vegetables? What is popular in the range and what customers ask for these products? Is the demand year round at the same level or there are peaks and troughs in the distribution of exotic fruit? Ive Lambert, commercial manager of Starfruit answers the questions about this niche market.

"The main exotic vegetables for Starfruit are cooking bananas, also called plantains or plantain bananas. In addition, cassava, okra, Eddo and laos are popular exotic vegetables. "According Ive cooking bananas are mainly popular with African customers. "Cooking Bananas what are these people consider as potatoes. They are boiled and fried and the product is an important part of their daily diet. The main supply of the cooking bananas comes from Columbia, also, a part of Ecuador."

What is the proportion of exotic vegetables in the full package exotics? "It depends how you look at it: compared to our total range, the proportion of exotic vegetables is not that big," he indicates. "Every week, about 10 to 15 pallets come along this trade route. But compared with other providers of exotics here in Brussels it is a large share."

Is the exotic vegetable section growing each year? According to the exotics specialist, the demand is relatively stable throughout the year. "We refer to our regular customers and there is not often talk of peaks or valleys. In contrast with exotic fruit there are really times in the year that the demand is considerably higher. Furthermore, in comparison with previous years exotic fruit has seen a big increase in demand. The pomegranate for example in recent years has become a real hype, but this is not comparable with the cooking bananas."

"Whether it is summer or winter, the African population from Belgium eats cooking bananas almost every day." Are there any Europeans wanting these products? "This happens very occasionally, as for example when there is a cooking show on TV with some exotics. Then there is more demand for a little while. I do not expect this to rise dramatically in the future. The European consumer is not familiar with the taste and find it generally not tasty. The average Belgian and Dutch just stay with potatoes. They will occasionally eat exotic vegetables will occasionally for a change. It's just a cultural difference."

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