Mexican producers of dates focused their attention on the Canadian, North American, and Australian markets. They were not keen on sending their product to Europe due to the large production volumes in the Mediterranean and, above all, the Arab countries. "They considered that Europe was an area in which they could not compete because there was too much product of diverse origins and that had lower transportation costs," said Miguel Luna, responsible of MLG Produce Sourcing, located in France. This company liaises and helps transactions between Mexican producers and customers or potential customers in Europe. The new US import policy has begun to undermine the confidence of exporters in other countries and has pushed them to open new markets.
"The main opportunity we have received has been through Denmark, more specifically through a chain of supermarkets," said Luna. This chain of supermarkets has requested the product. "It has helped us realize that the Mexican date has as many opportunities as any other date," says Luna. In fact, since this fruit is covered by the Free Trade Agreement, exporters and importers don't have to pay any taxes to move it. "In principle, transportation costs should be more expensive as Mexico is further away than other producing countries, but our customers don't have to pay any extra costs," sources at MLG Produce Sourcing stated. This allows them to offer a very competitive price.
"Unfortunately, we are afraid that we won't be able to offer the quantity they have requested, as we've had very little time to get this stock," Luna said. Nevertheless, producers from Mexico are optimistic because they now know that they have many possibilities in a new market.
For more information:
Miguel Luna
MLG Produce Sourcing
Tel: +33 612 577 841