Ecuador convinces with fruity variety

Import Promotion Desk (IPD) from Germany supports exporters from Ecuador and seven more partner countries at the international trade fair for fruits and vegetables

Ecuador is known for its biodiversity and offers a wide range of tropical fruits. The South American country lived up to its reputation at this year’s Berlin show. With bananas, pineapples, pitahayas, physalis and passionfruit, the exhibitors presented a richly filled fruit basket (Hall 21 Booth B‐06). The IPD has been supporting the partner country for two years now. In total, over 40 companies from eight IPD partner countries from Egypt, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Côte d`Ivoire, Ghana, Colombia, Peru and the Ukraine were present their range of fresh fruits and vegetables in Berlin.

“Ecuador has great potential in the fresh fruits and vegetables sector”, says Dr Julia Hoffmann, Head of IPD. “The country is mainly known as a supplier of bananas, but Ecuador offers a great variety of tropical fruits. Furthermore, it can score with specialties such as the yellow pitahaya from Palora. But not only the variety, also the quality is what makes the offer from Ecuador special.”

In South America the IPD is further active in Peru and Colombia. Funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), the initiative supports small‐ and medium sized companies in accessing the EU‐market. At Fruit Logistica the exhibitors from Peru presented ginger and curcuma, as well as granadillas and mini bananas. The range of products from Colombia includes amongst others, bananas, papayas as well as avocados. From Egypt and Ethiopia comes a wide range of vegetables and fresh herbs as well as strawberries, oranges, limes, pomegranates, grapes and mangoes. The producers from the Ukraine showcased berries in Berlin, such as blue berries and raspberries. Newcomers this year wee producers from the Côte d`Ivoire and Ghana, who presented coconuts, mangoes, sweet potatoes and okra pods as well as pineapples and papayas to an international audience.

Colombia, Côte d`Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Peru, Tunisia, Ukraine

The Import Promotion Desk (IPD) is an initiative for import promotion in Germany. The IPD fulfils a hinge function between small and medium-sized enterprises in selected emerging markets and developing countries on the one hand and European importers on the other. The objective is to integrate the partner countries into global trade, thereby contributing towards sustainable economic development in these countries. The IPD introduces exporters from its partner countries to the EU market and assists them in setting up trading relations. For European importers, the IPD opens up new supply sources in the partner countries and assists them in the procurement process for specific products.

Countries in the fresh fruit and vegetables program: Colombia, Côte d`Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Peru, Tunisia, Ukraine.

Product focus:

Fresh fruit (temperate): e.g. berries, melons, stone fruits, grapes and citrus)

Fresh vegetables: e.g. young vegetables, beans, peas, sugar snap peas, artichokes, ginger, fresh turmeric, fruit vegetables, broccoli and onions

Fresh herbs: e.g. basil, coriander, marjoram, melissa, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, chives and thyme

Sub-tropical and tropical fruit (exotic fruit): e.g. pineapples, avocados, bananas, cherimoya, dates, guava, pomegranates, persimmons; prickly pears, coconuts, mangoes, passion fruits, papayas, physalis and dragon fruits.

Quality protocol: thanks to its extensive sourcing the IPD guarantees that every selected supplier complies with the GlobalG.A.P. standard. GlobalG.A.P. is the one of the most important European standards for safe, sustainable production and high food safety. We assist promising producers in obtaining corresponding certification, paving their way to the European market for premium quality, fresh fruit and vegetables.

Organics, strategic value-chain

“In a focused manner, we support the export of products for which there is a high demand on the German and European market. Regardless of whether they are produced conventionally or organically.”

The demand for organic products has been growing for years, and there is great – as yet undiscovered – potential in developing and emerging countries. In countries such as Ghana, Ethiopia and Egypt there are already first organic suppliers. IPD supports these companies on their way to the European market.

“We advise the companies on organic certification. In some countries, it is more a matter of converting from conventional to organic farming in order to increase export opportunities.”

Organic’ is not only ecologically sustainable, but also in an economic sense. The demand for organic products is not a short-term trend, and there are companies in developing and emerging countries that have been active in the sector for many years. For example, the company Fincas de El Oro from Ecuador. It specialises in the cultivation of Cavendish bananas and their processing into jam and juice, for example. The Cavendish variety is particularly robust and therefore popular – with producers and consumers alike.

Fincas de El Oro works with around 50 partners – small farmers from the El Oro region. They dispense with the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The cooperative also pursues other ecological projects to improve the quality of the soil and conserve resources. For example, the farmers use biofermentation to make the soil more nutritious and have introduced a new water technology to reduce consumption. To protect biodiversity, the cooperative is also involved in reforestation in its fields and in parts of the surrounding primeval forest.

Especially in the organic segment, personal contact is an important argument when selecting a supplier. A lack of contacts with European retailers is therefore a major hurdle for many producers. For this reason, IPD arranges business contacts with potential customers within the framework of trade fairs and supports them with training in export marketing. This year, for example, we have already accompanied companies from our partner countries to Fruit Logistica and Biofach.

Further information www.importpromotiondesk.de