Victoria pineapple 2016-17 campaign

  • Published on 14/11/2017 - Published by PAQUI T.
  • FruiTrop n°252 , Page From 43 to 45
  • Free

Continuity in stability

This campaign did not see any major transformations before the arrival of the seasonal fruits. Once more, Reunion and Mauritius were the key market players, although at the end of the period, a newcomer arrived in the shape of Ghana, which for the moment is struggling somewhat to find its footing against the other two origins.

Open/Close Shop

The Reunion supply, smaller in terms of volume, remains the purchasers’ favourite, and so had no difficulty in earning value. Unfortunately, during the campaign it remained highly unbalanced, with a majority of small-sized fruits (9 and 10) which are less popular among purchasers, more on the lookout for sizes 6 and 7. This imbalance was felt on the price range, which was frequently wide, depending on the sizes available. Hence the import rates for the origin fluctuated between 2.50 and 3.50 euros/kg depending on the size, with some peaks at 3.80-4.00 euros/kg.

Steadier in terms of volume, the Mauritian supply, slightly less popular among purchasers, nonetheless offset the lack of Reunion fruit several times. Steadier too in terms of sizes than the Reunion supply, it continued to be the object of numerous promotions in the supermarket sector. Outside of the prices agreed for these promotions, the origin’s import rates fluctuated between 3.00 and 3.30 euros/kg, with some peaks at 3.50 or even 3.60 euros/kg.

The campaign over the months

The beginning of the campaign (week 40 2016 to week 4 2017) was marked by a rise in overall Victoria volumes, and more particularly from Reunion. The Reunion supply was highly unbalanced, with a majority of small-sized fruits (9 and 10) less popular among purchasers, and consequently finding it harder to earn value. Over the first few weeks, the supply, although outstripping demand, forced operators to broaden their price range in an attempt to get the market moving. In the absence of sufficiently steady demand, certain operators often resorted to commission sales to prevent excessive stocks from forming. The rise in volumes continued during the end-of-year holidays. Despite a fairly abundant supply during the holiday period, rates remained fairly stable, once again confirming the festive nature of the fruit.

victoria pineapple - france - import price
victoria pineapple - france - import price

After the holidays the situation was more complicated, with the downturn in demand. The Reunion supply, still unbalanced, had more difficulty selling. It was not until the end of January that the trend started to reverse, with supply levels starting to subside and gradually come into line with demand.

From weeks 5 to 17, Victoria volumes remained limited, helping sales remain fluid with fairly high rates, which held up even after Easter.

The arrival of the summer fruits (from week 18) coincided with a reduction in the Victoria supply. Heavy rains in Mauritius and to a lesser extent Reunion forced operators to scale back their import volumes. As well as being more fragile, the fruits developed quickly and poorly. As in every campaign, the arrival of the seasonal fruits led to lack of purchaser interest in small exotics, including Victoria. So operators had to heavily cut back their imports to levels more in line with demand, and maintain fluidity from one week to the next. Hence as the seasonal fruits supply increased, Victoria disappeared from customer purchasing habits.

During the summer (weeks 27 to 35), Victoria procurement was very sparse, with the overall supply constantly decreasing, especially from Reunion. Given the flat demand, certain operators even practically suspended their imports. The summer period was characterised, as in previous campaigns, by a distinct reduction in the overall supply, and above all by a stabilisation of Reunion and Mauritian fruit prices. Insofar as only Victoria die-hards continued their purchases, operators avoided lowering their prices, since in this scenario, this lever has very little effect on demand. Sales fluidity over the summer was above all due to the fact that the supply was generally well below demand. 

From weeks 36 to 39, the Victoria market was livelier, with demand gradually starting to establish itself. Mauritian fruits, which had previously provided the bulk of the supply, sustained a slight reversal of fortune due to the steadier return of the Reunion supply. Sales of Mauritian fruits slumped slightly, as did prices. Unfortunately, certain operators quickly increased their imports, resulting in a fairly marked slowdown in sales. This confirmed that demand, although livelier than during the summer, had not yet fully switched back to Victoria.

Thierry Paqui, consultant
paqui@club-internet.fr

Click "Continue" to continue shopping or "See your basket" to complete the order.