Garlic and ginger are expensive, and in the Netherlands, Bert van Gelder from Sawari Fresh does not anticipate a significant surge ahead of the festive season. "These products store quite well, so our biggest holiday rush was over the past two to three weeks. Our focus this week is on reordering for the programs," he says.
"Garlic is very well priced. Spain has had many quality issues and much less availability this season. European customers are, thus, reliant on China, but that garlic, too, is very expensive. Packaged Chinese garlic is even priced above €3 per kg, with loose ones at just under that."
"Ginger's availability is also challenging. Several Chinese parties have started harvesting the new crop, but those are still fragile. I don't expect larger arrivals from China until mid-January," says Bert. "Until then, we'll have to make do with ginger from mainly Brazil or Peru. Those are very pricey, though, at around €45 for 13 kg of Brazilian ginger. Chinese ginger costs about €43, and conventional Peruvian ginger sells at roughly €3/kg."
There is something new that could affect imports from Asia. The CMA CGM, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, and Maersk shipping companies have decided not to sail through the Red Sea. They fear attacks from the Houthi rebels in Yemen. "We mostly use Costco and Evergreen from China, who haven't yet decided about that. But we're keeping a close eye on things. That could cause considerable delays because using alternate routes means the ships spend an extra week or longer at sea," Bert concludes.
For more information:
Sawari Fresh International
22 Transportweg
2991 LV, Barendrecht, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 180 472 803
bert@sawarifresh.com
www.sawarifresh.com