by Yzza Ibrahim, Fresh Plaza
The market for citrus fruits in Poland completely changed in early March in terms of demand and prices compared with February. Ahmed Abdelhady of Citrozone, says that he expects high prices at the end of the season for all sizes due to shortages and also to the fact that local citrus prices in Egypt have been increasing. For example, the price of Valencia oranges at the moment is 2.00 LE/kilo, while last week it was only 1.55 LE/kilo.”
As for the European market, he assures that Scandinavia is currently offering the best opportunities, much better than Eastern Europe, since Eastern European countries are very close to Greece and Turkey and those two countries are offering their fruit for just €.50 (USD 0.57)/kilo.
In the meantime, he explains that the Navel late from Egypt and Spain are at the final stretch of the season, and if their quality remains strong enough, the price should be high, especially for the big sizes. On the opposite side of the scale, prices are currently better now in Russia while under pressure in the Gulf area, which is why most suppliers in the Mediterranean area prefer to ship their fruits to the Far East.
For its part, Citrozone reports to be receiving many offers from Turkey since the introduction of the Russian boycott, but the firm is also getting ready for the southern hemisphere campaign. Abdelhady states that at the beginning of next month, I will travel to South Africa to check the quantities/sizes/prices there to cover our customers after the citrus Mediterranean season comes to an end.”
Source: Fresh Plaza