Good start for grapefruit from South Africa and Zimbabwe
The first few weeks of the grapefruit sales are over and importers can't complain. "Good prices with…The first few weeks of the grapefruit sales are over and importers can't complain. "Good prices with a strong demand," sums up Joep van Lierop of De Groot International. "The first Navels from South Africa are coming in and the first Valencias will be available from the end of June." Joep speaks about the expectations for the coming South African season
Citrus Black Spot
As far as the measures against Citrus Black Spot are concerned, they are in line with last year. "Exporters and growers are even more involved than in previous years." He indicates that CBS hasn't caused shortages over the last year. "No shortages are expected in general this year, but the measures will cause a market in which the arrivals are irregular." Joep doesn't believe that the re-export to Spain will have a large influence on the market. "The export will be a bit bigger than usual as there will be no direct shipments to Spain from South Africa this season."
From Zimbabwe too
De Groot International has grapefruit and oranges from Zimbabwe and South Africa available this season. Joep indicates that it's an advantage that they also import from Zimbabwe. "The big advantage is that the arrivals are constant and there is no black spot present at the farms our fruit comes from."
Joep believes more smaller grapefruit sizes will be available from South Africa this year, part of which is too small for export. "This means that less will be exported in total compared to last season and more will be used for processing."
Potential of Asia and the Middle East
He says that South Africa is sending more and more straight to Asia and the Middle East. "De Groot also has an office in China, from which we are importing and selling more and more trade in China. This takes some knowledge and guidance, as it is a completely different market. Doing business is also hugely different to the European market."