The Spanish persimmon season started unusually early this year. "I didn't see that coming," says Oscar van Turenhout from OV Fruit. "Typically, supply starts slowly at the end of September, but this year we received significant volumes in the third week of September. In the first week alone, we sold two full trucks at great prices."
Oscar has been selling persimmons for several years and sees that the number of sellers has now consolidated. "Years ago, there was a bit of a hype, and suddenly everyone had persimmons. But then you get a price war, which benefits no one. You can see that growers in Spain have become more selective about who they work with. It's still primarily immigrant communities that consume persimmons, and that's no different in our export markets. Sales are mainly handled by importers supplying wholesale markets and foreign customers who can effectively place the persimmons."
According to the importer, the persimmon crop in Spain is at a similar level to last year. "The majority of the supply consists of smaller sizes, so many persimmons will be packaged in 1 kg for supermarkets. The price for medium sizes (20-22-24) ranges from €2 to €2.50 per kilogram, while thicker sizes are priced between €2.50 and €3. Overall, these are reasonable prices. I expect that particularly the thicker sizes will maintain their levels well. For the smaller sizes, I'm unsure if we can hold this price level."
"However, the pest pressure on persimmons is always relatively high, so it remains uncertain how the harvest will hold up throughout the season," Oscar continues. Although countries like Turkey and Greece are increasingly experimenting with persimmon cultivation, OV Fruit is focused on the Spanish product. "We can get enough from there, so I see no point in sourcing from elsewhere."
For more information:
Oscar van Turenhout
OV Fruit
Mob: +31 (0)657581054
[email protected]
www.ovfruit.nl