On August 6 and 7, Marc Evrard of Belgian Fruit Valley was once again present at the IFPA in São Paulo, Brazil, to showcase Belgian pears. "We cannot be dissatisfied with how things went. There appear to be plenty of opportunities in the country with declining competition from southern Europe, Argentina, and the U.S.," the trader says.
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There are also high expectations for the upcoming Belgian Conference season, which will, of course, supply the traditional markets, but in recent years has increasingly looked at further destinations. This includes Brazil, where, just last year, a trade mission led by Belgian Princess Astrid traveled. "It is potentially a wonderful market," Marc explains. "It was therefore great that we were able to highlight our pears again at this fair. The continuity of interest also turned out to be there."
"So now that also has to do with what the competing origins of pears will or will not do. There are fewer opportunities in southern Europe. There is also less coming from Argentina, and on top of that, there is 'trouble in paradise' in the relationship between Brazil and the U.S. due to U.S. President Donald Trump's much-discussed import tariffs. It could all play in our favour. The programmes are now prepared, but still some challenges lurk. We are at the very beginning with relatively high prices, with the euro being quite firm, so the exchange rate does not work in our favour. Moreover, everything is also not running smoothly logistically with irregular sailing schedules and a lot of congestion."
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Nonetheless, Marc indicates that the Belgian Conference will be well-positioned to meet increasing demand from other markets next season. "We can even make good use of the markets. After all, we have some 35 per cent larger pear harvest compared to last year, so every consumer is welcome. Moreover, we have excellent quality, so you certainly should not say no to opportunities that arise in different markets. That applies not only to Brazil, but also to other countries on the periphery of the U.S., such as Canada and Mexico. In addition, we will be in Hong Kong again next week for the Asia Fruit Logistica. 'The world is our oyster. '"
For more information:
Marc Evrard
Belgian Fruit Valley
+32 1169 3411
[email protected]
www.bfv.be