"We expect a very good quality kaki harvest and medium sizes"

Kakis, citrus fruits, and potatoes, three flagship products of the Valencia region, saw their seasons affected by the flood disaster of October last year. This season is being faced with greater optimism. Frutomás Export, one of the most outstanding specialized companies here, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Its family farming tradition dates back to the 60s, and since then, it has been diversifying into different companies and brands, with the most popular ones being Sofie and Troya.

"When it comes to kakis, we expect a very good quality harvest and medium sizes. The season is likely to last until early March. We normally handle about 5 million kilos a year and prefer focusing on the top sizes in both the first and second categories. We work mostly with smaller supermarkets, the local market, and collectives. This is how we sell the most affordable kakis and we contribute to promoting them among our clients," says José Tomás, manager of Frutomás Export.

With 8 million kilos of mandarins and oranges per year, the manager defines the prospects as "complicated," because "prices are high at the source, and this, together with the marketing costs, is bringing the average price of clementines to over €1.10 and that of oranges to around €0.85," says Tomás.

Given the losses of Clemenules in the province of Castellon due to the hailstorms in spring, Tomás believes that "purchases have been made at the source at high prices and with a high level of business uncertainty, as fruit from the Southern Hemisphere will still remain available for a while, which could lead to some overlapping of seasons. Moreover, the latter is coming with very competitive prices because of difficulties in sales."

Tomas says that the interest lies in working with small sizes and collectivities. "For years, we have been trying to place mandarins, kakis, pears, and apples in schools to encourage fruit consumption among children and adolescents. In general, if we don't do that, we will never achieve continuity in the supply. The focus shouldn't be just on peeled fruit or on selling to large chains. This is a very clear objective for Frutomás Export. Last year, we reached one million kilos delivered to collectivities in France and Spain."

According to Tomás, "everything becomes harder in such a competitive and open environment, because the profitability of companies is highly dependent on political decisions and commercial agreements. This uncertainty makes it increasingly difficult to plan campaigns. Therefore, we have to anticipate the intentions of buyers."

As far as local consumption is concerned, Tomás says: "We should try boosting the consumption of domestic produce with promotional initiatives or by helping it stand out, as many countries in Europe do, by labeling it with a national flag, which then becomes a sign of freshness, quality, and proximity."

Tomás pointed to another of the difficulties the sector is facing: "the lack of generational succession, aggravated to a large extent by the lack of institutional incentives and support. The younger generations are reluctant to work in a sector that is already quite demanding in itself," says the manager.

Frutomás Export produces and markets 25 million kilos of kakis, clementines, and potatoes per year, grown on 150 hectares.

For more information:
José Tomás
Frutomás Export
Tel..: +34 667 65 63 68
[email protected]
www.frutomas-export.com