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Other exotics - Q1 2020

Published on 9/04/2020 - Published by GERBAUD Pierre
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Quarterly market review

Informations

Product(s) : Chayote , Christophine , Chili , Plantain
Rubrique / Thématique : Review and Forecasts
Country : French west indies , Colombia , Costa rica , Cuba , Martinique , Dominican republic , Saint Vincent
Keywords : Export , Import , Price , Production

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Plantain banana

Colombian plantain bananas struggled to sell in January and until mid-February, due to a marked lack of demand. Yet the supply was abundant over this period, which led to stocks forming. Despite very low prices (0.40 euro/kg), the volumes available did not find any takers, and the resulting qualitative deterioration of the produce only accentuated poor sales. The market situation improved slightly from mid-February, albeit slowly.

Chayote and christophine

The low availability of christophine helped keep prices fairly stable at between 1.80 and 2.00 euros/kg for Costa Rican fruit. However, we can note that this produce saw only weak demand in Q1 2020. Some residual French-produced batches sold at around 1.80 euro/kg in early January, though their quality was haphazard. Martinique shipped some batches of christophine the second half of March, with this air-freight fruit earning higher prices.

Costa Rican chayote sold steadily at around 1.50 euro/kg in January and February. Its prices strengthened slightly in March, given the reduction in availability.

Dasheen

At the beginning of the year the dasheen market was hit by the suspension of the supply from Saint Vincent, the traditional supplier of this product. The last batches from this origin placed on the market in early January sold at high prices (4.50 euros/kg), carrying on from previous months. The paucity of production seems to be the main reason for this suspension in exports, with shippers unable to completely fill containers. Meanwhile Martinique continued its air-freight shipments in small quantities. This produce sold at the usual price: 4.00 euros/kg. In the second half of March, the supply was topped up by some Costa Rican batches, which sold at an average price of 3.50 euros/kg.

Chilli pepper

January to early March saw a downward trend in chilli pepper prices, followed by stabilisation. Sale prices however remained high, often exceeding the 10.00-euros/kg threshold. Average sale prices do not reflect the reality of prices, which proved highly variable according to the quality of the incoming produce. The Dominican Republic was the main chilli pepper supplier, though its produce was subject to strict monitoring by the phytosanitary services upon being imported. The incoming batches underwent systematic analyses upon receipt, causing delays in shipments and frequent qualitative deterioration of the fruit. Prices were set according to the quality of the produce, ranging from 4.50-5.00 euros/kg to 12.00-15.00 euros/kg. These controls also doubtless caused reluctance on the part of Dominican shippers, thereby limiting the supply. Cuba was the number two supplier to the market, with produce selling at more stable prices, albeit in lower quantities. The FWI supply was scaled back to a few small one-off shipments.