It's been an unusual citrus season, as imported citrus is now coming from different origins than previous years, says Yigit Aslan, founding partner of Polish fresh produce trader Benny Fruit: "The citrus market is not unfolding as anticipated. Due to adverse weather conditions, citrus sales have actually decreased recently. Polish consumers are currently showing a preference for easy-peeler mandarins and oranges. Our primary origin for sourcing our citrus has traditionally been Turkey, but this season we have shifted our procurement, due to the elevated prices in Turkey. This means we have been sourcing our imports from Spain and Egypt this year."
While Turkish produce has become more expensive, cheaper options have presented themselves this season, Aslan explains. "Looking at our difficulties for the season, these issues primarily revolve around the pricing of the products. As I said before, we opted to go for other origins to solve the issue and have not encountered any other challenges for the season. Everything pertaining to quality or service has actually been really good."
With the Red Sea crisis preventing the Egyptian citrus to be exported to Asia, these fruits can now be found on the European market, impacting prices and demand: "The development of Egyptian citrus kind of flooding the market has had an impact on other producing regions like Turkey and Spain, for sure. In addition to pricing concerns, the Egyptian citrus market now boasts commendable quality standards, alongside adherence to pesticide Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and robust traceability measures. Consequently, intense competition has emerged on the European market and prices have witnessed an overall decline compared to previous seasons," Aslan concludes.
For more information:
Yigit Aslan
Benny Fruit
Tel: +48 662 525 639
Mobile: +90 539 266 6248
Email: [email protected]
www.bennyfruit.com