With 6.5 million boxes, sales across all markets dropped by nearly 30 % from 2015-16, a much greater fall than the 12 to 15 % registered over the previous three seasons. While the damaging effects of greening are still just as marked, this aggravation is largely due to a cyclical factor, namely the passage of Hurricane Matthew in early October. All the markets saw their supply collapse, starting with the main one: volumes placed on the US market fell by more than one million boxes. Shipments to Europe decreased considerably, with the 1.4 million boxes received marking a downturn of 500 000 boxes from the previous season. France continued to represent the core market for Florida, taking in approximately half of shipments arriving into the EU-28. While regular customers among the European distribution centres remained loyal to this premium grapefruit, they often opted for replacements (especially Spanish fruit in France), in particular for their promotions. Conversely, the wholesale customer portfolio shrank considerably.
Sources: Eurostat, French Customs, FDOC
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