The torrential rains recorded in the province of Valencia, the main kaki producing area in Spain, have had a notable impact on the supply of this product, whose season will end earlier this year.
"The storms and floods caused us to lose 50% of our kaki production, which, unlike other years, will last at the most until Christmas. Given the limited supply available, the priority is to keep the flow of the supply steady, ruling out the possibility of keeping any fruit in cold storage," says Manuel Baides, manager of the Fruta de Autor group.
In fact, the drop in volumes in a production area as important as Ribera del Xúquer, in Valencia, has caused the demand to soar in other growing areas in Spain, such as Huelva, as well as in other countries, such as Italy, Morocco and Greece.
Manuel Baides and his colleague Lázaro Pérez are visiting Saudi Arabia to check the status of the first arrivals of Rojo Brillante kakis and clementines with leaf to the shelves of the main retail chains in this country.
"We have started with really good prices for kakis in Saudi Arabia due to the limited supply. They are asking us for larger quantities, but after what happened in Valencia, our planned programs have had to be cut in half," says Baides.
"The demand is higher than the supply and we are focusing more on selling to the domestic market and to European countries. Curiously, despite the fact that prices have gone up, importers are not exerting pressure to negotiate them, as it is difficult to find sufficient volumes. Our customers are aware of the situation, as the shocking images of the catastrophe have been shown around the world, and they have given us support and understanding," says Baides.
"We are very satisfied with the quality of the kakis and the clementines with leaf on the shelves in Saudi Arabia," says the Director of Fruta de Autor. "While the Oronules was at a more advanced stage of ripening and has been more affected by the rains, the Clemenules was at a more advanced stage of coloring and, in most cases, it has even benefited from them. We are happy to see our products increasingly better positioned in this market."
Fruta de Autor will also send oranges to Saudi Arabia, although it will wait until the end of the Egyptian season. "Egypt is just starting now and it is too difficult to compete with their prices. That is why we will be focusing on European and overseas markets. We will be shipping mainly to central and South America until the month of February, and we will then start working also with Saudi Arabia," says Manuel Baides.
"The Dubai market has also taken a back seat since the situation in the Red Sea worsened as a result of the war in Gaza. Transit times have lengthened to around 30 days and we can only ship fruit that can withstand such long journeys. We are still doing some shipments, as the goods can be transported by road from the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia," says Baides.
For more information:
Manuel Baides
Fruta de Autor SL
T: +34 961 018 189
M: +34 615104344
[email protected]
Lázaro Pérez
M: +34 636 62 31 55
[email protected]
www.frutadeautor.com
www.grupoautor.es