Other exotics - Q4 2019

Plantain banana

The plantain banana is probably the product that experienced the greatest sales difficulties over the course of Q4 2019.  The market was characterised by a marked lack of demand, while volumes from Colombia remained large. Sales conditions quickly slipped into a cycle of poor sales, leading to qualitative deterioration of the fruit, generating price falls. As Colombia was the main supplier, the evolution of sales of its produce was passed onto Ecuadorian produce, shipped in smaller quantities. The market’s behaviour was far removed from the previous quarter, and especially the early part when an under-supply made it possible to charge prices more in line with the norm. Some sales were made from a footing of 0.40 euro/kg, a particularly low level symptomatic of clearance sales.

plantain - france - wholesale price

Chayote and christophine

French-produced chayotes and christophines dominated the supply during Q4 2019, with prices highly stable at around 1.80 euro/kg for christophines and 1.30-1.40 euro/kg for chayotes. The price of chayotes maintained an upward trend in December, under the combined effect of demand picking up and gradually decreasing availability, with French production coming to an end. We can note that some batches of French chayotes this year came with a dark green coloration, fairly uncharacteristic of the product. The quality of christophines proved satisfactory, except at the end of the period when the fruit presented more and more skin flaws and a shorter life. In parallel, Costa Rica shipped steady yet restrained volumes of chayotes, which also sold at stable prices of around 1.50 euro/kg. The Costa Rican christophine supply was more haphazard. Absent during the first half of the quarter, incoming shipments resumed in mid-November. Prices were more variable according to incoming shipments and quality. Certain short-lived batches sold at lower prices than those stated here. Conversely, batches of satisfactory quality were valued at between 1.80 and 2.00 euros/kg.  

chayote and christophine - france - wholesale price

Dasheen

Saint Vincent dasheens obtained a very distinct price rise for from the previous quarter. The paucity of the supply from this origin caused this spectacular increase, rarely seen for the product, with prices of up to 4.50 euros/kg, i.e. in excess of those for air-freight produce from Martinique. Exporters were struggling to put together enough merchandise to ship full containers of tubers. They were sometimes forced to top up loads with other products compatible in terms of transport conditions. Rates were stable and unchanged for the small shipments from Martinique.    

dasheen - france - wholesale price

Chilli pepper

Rates for chilli peppers were particularly stable until the first week of December, at around 4.50 euros/kg. The supply was dominated by French produce from early September. The rapid fall in French-produced shipments had the effect of a price surge coinciding with the end-of-year festivities, a time when demand intensifies. The price increased fourfold within a few days. This exponential increase dragged the price for chilli peppers from other origins in its wake. Martinique, with restrained volumes, was the first origin to benefit from this turnaround in trend. Batches from Guadeloupe and Cuba also opportunistically took advantage of these good market conditions. The supply was topped up by some batches from the Dominican Republic, albeit irregularly and with low fruit coloration.

chilli pepper - france - wholesale price