The exotic fruit market is currently showing a mixed picture: While the marketing of avocados has normalized after Easter, the current mango market is characterized by acute shortages and correspondingly high prices, reports Pedram Pandijeh, buyer and seller at H. Ehmann Fruchthandels, located at the local wholesale market in Hamburg.
Avocado market seems to normalize
Peruvian Hass avocados currently dominate the offerings at the Hamburg wholesale market. Prices are at 20 EUR per box for the 16/18 size sorting. "Just before Easter, there was a supply gap, which drove up prices. This has then normalized somewhat in the past two weeks. Overall, the avocado market presented itself as mostly scarce and expensive in the first quarter," describes Pandijeh, who has traded goods from Morocco, Israel, and Chile among others. Approximately 95 percent of his offerings consist of the market-standard Hass variety, supplemented by small quantities of Greenskin avocados.
Pedram Pandijeh (r) and managing director Hüseyin Can Olgun at the sales booth in the central wholesale market hall
Mangoes: The coming sales weeks will be extremely tough
Meanwhile, the Peruvian mango season is slowly coming to an end. Due to the limited supply, prices have now risen to 50 EUR per box. Pandijeh: "Everyone is currently looking for air-freighted mangos. When a batch arrives, it's sometimes sold out within ten minutes. We are waiting for the transition to Mexico, Brazil, Israel, and the Dominican Republic. It will likely take a few more weeks before larger quantities come from these producing countries. Therefore, the next three to four sales weeks will be extremely tough, which is why further price increases cannot be ruled out."
Increasing demand for unusual exotic fruits
In recent years, Ehmann has specialized not only in the procurement and marketing of mangos and avocados but also of unusual exotic fruits. Currently, among others, Pitahayas in all varieties, Mangosteens, and Granadillas are available at the stand. Pandijeh: "Many items we can now offer all year round. New this year is the fruit Achacha from Brazil, which we have been carrying since the end of February."
The increasing presence of melons and stone fruits from the Northern Hemisphere has had only a minimal impact on the exotic fruit business, according to Pandijeh. "Instead, it is mainly the citrus fruits that are now increasingly being replaced by melons and stone fruits. So, we are not observing a decline in demand for exotics but a continuously high need. What also helps are the freight charges in the air freight sector, which have now returned to a nearly normal level after the pandemic," he concludes.
Further information:
Pedram Pandijeh
H. Ehmann Fruchthandels GmbH Nachf.
Wholesale Market Hamburg
T: 0172 141 3355
[email protected]
www.ehmann-frucht.de