Belgium: “There is no real banana trade anymore”
According to Jan Vanhuyse, these are the best months for the banana trade. "More or less until April,” he says. “Now the importers must earn their money. We do notice that the banana market is a free one, and more and more providers are trying their luck. At least there’s sufficient supply. We remain focused on quality brands. For Belgium, Chiquita is still an important brand. In the Netherlands not so much any more. The market share of other brands decreases, some of them pricing themselves right out of the market!”
Vanhuyse says the real banana trade no longer exists. "When retail came into the picture, the trade dwindled. We have become a service provider for supermarkets. The proportion of free market customers is still declining every day. Still, I expect supermarkets will continue to need us, at least for a while longer. They’re in a luxury position right now. But we have the know-how and the expertise required to supply quality produce: that’s still worth something. I don’t think the fact that we’ve become service providers has become a genuine threat to the future. You should just continue to do your job well.”
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