In the coming weeks, there will be a shortage of plums in Europe

The plum season is currently in full swing in Portugal, and although the country is also seeing the…

The plum season is currently in full swing in Portugal, and although the country is also seeing the impact of the shortage suffered by the rest of Europe, it is enjoying a good production and acceptable prices.

Shortage of plums
"I think that, in the coming weeks, from September to early November, the markets will suffer big shortages," states Hugo Franco, managing director of Emergosol, adding that the shortage in other markets will push their prices up. "Right now, our prices are acceptable, although not excellent. There are some plums from the UK in the market which are about to run out, as are those from other countries. Within two or three weeks, we will have even better prices than now."

Its plum season runs approximately from June to November. During the first months, due to the shortage, Emergosol had plenty of demand from different countries, which has now been reduced due to the increased supply from other European countries. The managing director estimated that within two or three weeks, Portugal will have more demand.

United Kingdom
Emergosol is a Portuguese company that produces and exports mainly stone and pome fruits, such as pears, apples, plums, peaches, nectarines and kiwis, as well as a wide range of vegetables, such as Butternut pumpkins, tomatoes, courgettes and chillies. In addition to its own production, Emergosol markets that of other producers. In total, it produces approximately 20,000 tonnes of products each season. Its biggest destination is the United Kingdom, where it exports 75% of its production. The remaining 25% is split between Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Brazil, Morocco and Switzerland.

Brexit
Since its biggest market is the United Kingdom, the company is paying very close attention to the consequences of Brexit; however, for the moment these are still largely unknown. "Nobody knows what will happen in the future. We believe that demand will remain stable, but it is still too early to be sure," he affirms, adding that, for the time being, the only factor that is shaping the market is the exchange rate. Anything else is mere conjecture.

Passion fruit
Currently, its apples, pears, plums and Butternut pumpkins are in season, and the exporter claims that the campaign has so far been very good. Soon, Emergosol will start marketing a new product in Portugal: passion fruit.

"It will be the first time that passion fruit is grown commercially in Portugal, and we still do not know how it will do, but we have good expectations," explains the producer enthusiastically. "Within one or two months, we will start exporting to the UK, but also to the Netherlands and other countries who are interested in buying passion fruit." Most passion fruit producing countries are in South America, and the Portuguese believe that they will consequently have a clear logistical advantage. "We believe we can offer fresher products than other suppliers, and with lower logistics costs."