Substantial volumes of grapes are arriving from South Africa and Namibia, although less than initially expected, says Corne van de Klundert from Origin Fruit Direct in Rotterdam, "Overall, less grapes have been sent to the EU compared to last year, and slightly more have been sent to the U.K., the Middle East and the Far East. Several plantations started earlier, and the season will end earlier as well. The quality of the grapes is good; the white grape varieties are almost identical to previous years. In the coming months we will see some new developments with the red and blue seedless grapes."
White grapes are currently selling for 8-9 euros (for 4.5 kilos) and punnets are selling for 10-11.50 euros. The price for a punnet of red grapes is around 12-13 euros. According to the importer, grape sales are smooth, but the market is not hot, "We have not seen last year's peak prices, but the most important thing is that we don't have the lows that we had last year. Market expectations are still positive, and I do not expect a price collapse. With the planned supermarket promotions ready, I expect that we will all be able to sell a considerable volume."
For more information:Corne van de Klundert
Origin Fruit Direct
Tel: +31 (0)88 244 93 08
[email protected]
www.originfruitdirect.nl
