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Roots and Tubers review: Q2 2022

Published on 11/07/2022 - Published by GERBAUD Pierre
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The ethnic produce market had a quiet Q2 2022, with relatively stable prices across all the products in question. Rates frequently dipped at the end of the period, with the start of the summer period, usually less dynamic in terms of demand. Nonetheless, some supply variations disrupted sales of certain products, e.g. from Costa Rica.

Informations

Product(s) : dasheen , Eddoe , Ginger , Yam , Cassava , Sweet Potato
Rubrique / Thématique : Review and Forecasts
Country : Brazil , China , Costa rica , Egypt , Spain , Ghana , Honduras , Martinique , Peru , Saint Vincent , Thailand
Keywords : Export , Import , Price , Production

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Sweet potato

During Q2 2022, white-fleshed sweet potatoes were supplied primarily by Brazil and Honduras. The trading campaign for Egyptian produce dried up in late April, with unrepresentative shipments over the following months. This downturn seems to have confirmed the alteration in the country’s production, in favour of orange-fleshed Beauregard sweet potatoes. Rates for Honduran produce remained stable in April and June, at around €1.90/kg. However, they declined in May to around €1.60/kg, due to larger shipments and a higher number of recipients. The price of Brazilian produce, stable in April, dropped thereafter from €1.60/kg to €1.40/kg at the end of the period.

The orange-fleshed sweet potato market was supplied by Spain, Honduras and Egypt. Honduran tubers obtained the best prices. Spanish sweet potatoes sold on a downward footing until mid-May, before seeing their prices strengthen to levels higher than at the start of the period, in parallel with a fall in volumes received. Egyptian sweet potatoes sold at around €1.10/kg in April and May, before climbing in June because of the origin’s downturn toward the end of its campaign.

Yam

The yam market had a particularly quiet Q2 2022. The regular shipments of Cuscus yams from Brazil sold at constant prices throughout the period. This produce, received in moderate quantities, matched the demand level. White yams from Ghana also sold steadily, though their prices strengthened in June as available stocks were depleted. Tubers from the new harvest should be on the market from July, probably at higher prices.

Eddoe

The Costa Rican eddoe market was heavily disrupted, with prices on a marked rise to levels rarely reached. This movement was caused by the dwindling supply. Availability of shipping containers out of Costa Rica was limited, or even restricted by ship owners. Costa Rica exports very large quantities of fruit and vegetables such as the pineapple, melon, cassava, etc. Exporters favoured exporting products with the highest added value. The eddoe, a product of lower economic importance in terms of both volumes and value, was marginalised in terms of Costa Rican exports. The supply shortfall naturally caused a surge in sale prices.

Dasheen

Air-freight dasheens from Martinique sold steadily in Q2 2022. Their prices were revised in late April to take into account the increase in cost price. It was the increase in air and transit prices which led to this movement. Shipments from Saint Vincent saw a long-term hiatus in June, with the production shortage preventing full containers from being shipped. The logistical disruptions in the Caribbean zone also represented an additional brake on shipments. In late June, shipments from Saint Vincent resumed, and sales were made on a higher price level.

Cassava

The price of the Costa Rican cassava rose from mid-April to mid-May, when it reached its highest level. It dropped thereafter back to more or less the same level as at the start of the period. As for the eddoe, but with a smaller impact, the cassava supply subsided during the pineapple and melon export campaigns, as these are priority products for the country. The dwindling supply logically led to a price increase, given the more intense demand during the Ramadan period.

Ginger

The ginger market had a steady Q2 2022, with price differences between the origins. Thai produce obtained the highest prices, while merchandise from China, the main market supplier, sold at between €1.60 and €1.80/kg, depending on the quality and packaging type (5, 10 and 13 kg). China dominated the supply, taking over from Brazil, whose final batches sold off in early April at €1.60/kg. Finally, Peru shipped some ginger from mid-May. This produce, shipped in more modest quantities, earned around €2.00/kg. The fruit from this origin, smaller in size but recognised as highly aromatic, is aimed at a narrower customer base than competing produce.