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Production up for China, the world’s top apple, pear & table grape grower

China is the world’s leading producer of apples, pears, and table grapes, and in MY 2015/16 expects apple production at 43 million tons, up 5% on the previous year, pear production up 6% to 19 million tons, and grape production up 9% to to 9.6 million tons.

China is the world’s leading producer of apples, pears, and table grapes, comprising roughly 55%, 77%, and 44% of total output respectively, and is expecting increased crops for each of these fruits in MY 2015/16, according to a recent USDA Gain report on fresh deciduous fruit in the country.

Chinese Fruit Production 2004-2014


source: Ministry of Agriculture

Apples

China’s apple production: The USDA post forecasts China’s apple production at 43 million tons in marketing year (MY) 2015/16 (July-June), up 5% from the revised production in MY 2014/15 underpinned by generally favourable weather. In the last decade, apple production has steadily increased but this growth is likely to moderate as less new acreage becomes available for apple production.

China’s apple imports: In May this year, the US and Chinese governments granted market access for each other’s apples, a move expected to boost apple imports from the United States. China’s apple imports are forecast to continue surging by nearly 50% to 100,000 tons in MY 2015/16 (July-June) after China granted market access for all varieties of the U.S.-origin apples.
In October 2014, China lifted an import suspension on Washington apples due to quarantine pest issues, as a result, the country’s apple imports nearly doubled in MY 2014/15. The US is China’s second largest apple supplier after Chile.

China’s apple exports: Increasing prices had been limiting China’s apple exports but in MY 2015/16, China’s apple exports are expected to rebound by 20% to 900,000 tons thanks to apples that are lower-priced and in greater supply. In MY 2014/15, exports had dropped by nearly 20% to 750,000 tons as domestic apple prices reached a record high and the buying power of what had been two main customers for Chinese apples, Russia and Indonesia, was limited by economic difficulties and local currency devaluations

Apple prices in China: Farm gate prices for Fuji apples have dropped by 25% to RMB 6.4 ($1.00) per kilo in Qixia of Shandong, a major apple producing area in China, compared with MY 2014/15. The high purchase prices during the MY 2014/15 harvest time effectively limited consumption and, as a result, fruit sales were reduced and prices began to decline in March 2015. In general, fruit prices were much lower in 2015 than the previous year due to the economic slowdown.

Pears

China’s pear production: Pear production is expected to increase by 6% to 19 million tons in MY 2015/16, up nearly 6% from the previous year because of favourable growing conditions in major production areas.

China’s pear imports:  China’s pear imports are forecast to increase by more than 20% to 12,000 tons in MY 2015/16. Pear imports are steadily increasing as consumers become more aware and acceptant of Western pears that are different from their Asian counterparts. Since gaining market access in 2013, the US has become China’s top pear supplier.

China’s pear exports: Thanks to increased supplies, China’s pear exports are tipped to rise 9% to 360,000 tons in MY 2015/16. The report said that while China’s export share to Indonesia, the leading buyer of Chinese pears, is declining, its other major markets in Asia remain quite stable and China is exploring new foreign markets.

Table grapes

Chinese table grape production: The forecast from the USDA’s post in China is for Chinese table grape production of 9.6 million tons in MY 2015/16 (June-May), up 9% on the year before thanks mainly to increased acreage. Grape acreage is expected to expand 5% to 800,000 ha in MY 2015/16.

China’s table grape imports: The post estimates 10% growth in China’s grape imports to 250,000 tons for MY 2015/16, due largely to increased imports during the local off-season. Chile is China’s top grape supplier and Peru has overtaken the US in the number two spot. China’s grape imports from Peru are likely to increase further as, under a Free Trade Agreement, the import tariff for Peruvian grapes will fall to zero this year.

China’s table grape exports: A 27% increase to 165,000 tons is the forecast China’s table grape exports in MY 2015/16. Grape exports to China’s neighbours in Asia are likely to enjoy a boost thanks to the drop in prices in China. In the wake of rapid production expansion, prices for most grape varieties have fallen considerably since MY 2014/15. For example, farm gate prices for Red Globe varieties in Shaanxi province were quoted at RMB 4.8 ($0.76) per kilo during the harvest, down 20% on the same period the previous year.

Chinese fruit consumption

Per capita daily fruit consumption in China is said to be 198 grams, compared to 303 grams in the US and 426 grams in Italy, suggesting there is room for much growth. However, such growth has been slowed in China by the current economic restructuring and much slower GDP growth there.
On the positive side, however, fruit prices have fallen since last year and consumption of imported fruit continues to rise at a fairly fast rate in large cities, “aided by the development of E-commerce which targets mainly the consumers with higher disposable income and young professionals. Shanghai, for example, imports between RMB 15 to 18 billion ($23.6 to 28.3 million) of fresh fruit each year, an annual increase of nearly 40%, according to customs data.”
Overall, the report says, China’s fruit consumption will continue to increase, aided by dietary changes.

Focus now on boosting quality, not production

Instead of focusing on the expansion of production, quality improvement is increasingly the aim of support for the fruit sector provided by the government, normally at provincial or county levels, the report says.
Demonstration farms are seen by the local agriculture departments as an effective way to showcase new production models and farming technology. In Shaanxi, for example, the provincial government is providing an annual subsidy of RMB 10 million ($1.6 million) to build high-density apple demonstration farms which will serve as the model for upgrading the existing apple orchards in the province.

source: GAIN Report Number CH15059, 2015 Fresh Deciduous Fruit Annual for China (People’s Republic of)

main image: “The People’s Republic of China (green) and its claimed territory (lighter green)” by Ssolbergj licensed under GFDL via Commons

 

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Growtech Eurasia expecting 80,000 agriculture professionals

Growtech Eurasia 2015, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, brings together agricultural professionals from a wide area – extending from European and Balkan countries to the Middle East and from North Africa to the Turkic Republics at the Antalya Expo Center – over four days, from December 2-5, 2015

Growtech Eurasia 2015, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, brings together agricultural professionals from a wide area – extending from European and Balkan countries to the Middle East and from North Africa to the Turkic Republics at the Antalya Expo Center –  over four days, from December 2-5, 2015.

The fair – with the full name Growtech Eurasia International Greenhouse, Agricultural Equipment and Technologies Fair – is expected to draw more than 650 leading companies and brands from more than 30 countries as participants this year, with 80,000 sector professionals from 74 countries anticipated as visitors to the Growtech Eurasia 2015 Agriculture Fair.

In a press release, UBM EMEA (Istanbul) Fair Organization Group Director Engin Er said the event is Eurasia’s leading and Turkey’s most comprehensive agricultural fair.

“Turkey, which grew significantly in recent years and now is the world’s 16th and Europe’s 6th largest economy, has the world’s 7th and Europe’s 1st largest agricultural gross national product,” Er said. “As Growtech Eurasia, we are proud to have our share in this success of Turkey as an effective specialized international agricultural fair that stands out more everyday in a wide region extending from European and Balkan countries to the Middle East, from North Africa to the Turkic Republics.”

“Even though there are still two months to the fair, we are fully booked. All sector professionals, nationally and internationally recognized products and services in the fields of Greenhouse and Technologies, Agricultural Technologies and Equipment, Irrigation Systems, Seed Growing, Plant Nutrition and Protection, Biological Intervention, Agricultural Machines and Equipment will meet once again at Growtech Eurasia this year.”

Within the scope of the fair, a Purchase Council Program will be organised by the Western Mediterranean Exporters’ Association with the coordination of the Turkish Ministry of the Economy. At the bilateral discussions of surrounding countries’ potential buyers and decision makers that will allow the development of commerce, agricultural companies will meet and commercial partnerships will be established.

The agriculture fair’s main sponsor is Bactogen, which produces organic fertilisers with an Innovative Agriculture approach, the communications sponsor is Turkcell, which offers the first tailor-made agricultural consulting service of the world with the Turkcell Farmers Union, and the co-sponsor is Findex, a new financial service platform.

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Fresh cuts and berries among priorities for BAMA

The Oslo-based BAMA trading group is expanding its offering of organic produce and Norwegian-grown vegetables and is committed to helping people choose healthier foods.

The Norwegian market leader for sales of fresh fruit, vegetables, berries and potatoes, BAMA Group (BAMA Gruppen AS) last year posted consolidated sales of BNOK 13.5 (€1.45b). Through its five business areas – including Grocery and HoReCa – each year 500,000 tons of fresh fruit, vegetables, berries, drinks and flowers – from a network of more than 1,300 producers in Norway and abroad – pass through its terminals on their way to 15,000 customers in Norway. Berries are BAMA’s top fruit category in value and bananas in volume, while for vegetables it’s tomatoes in value and potatoes in volume.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Competition in the Nordic grocery market is razor-sharp, Oslo-based BAMA said in its 2014 annual report, but in its favour is the growing interest Norwegians have in healthy diets, natural foodstuffs and food of Norwegian origin. BAMA Group CEO Rune Flaen says it’s the health trend that’s fuelled significant growth in products such as berries, avocados, spinach, root vegetables and kale. (In the last three years, sales volumes have shot up 856% for sweet potatoes, 1386% for kale and 80% for spinach.) BAMA’s overall volume growth for fruit and vegetables in 2014 was 2.6%.

Also favourable is that fruit and vegetable consumption continues to rise in Norway, in marked contrast to the rest of Europe. However, despite climbing 35% in 20 years, consumption in Norway remains below official dietary recommendations. The growth potential for BAMA’s product groups is therefore significant, BAMA said in the report. With excess weight emerging as Norway’s main health challenge, it has adopted a strategy of actively working to improve public health through increased focus on healthy diets and exercise.

Berries: 15% annual growth target

BAMA has certain focus areas for which it sets yearly growth targets. Berries is one of these, with a target of 15%, and by late September sales were already up 13% in volume. BAMA is the Norwegian market leader for berry sales and over five years logged spectacular growth of 140% to reach about 18,000 tons last year.

Instead of taking big volumes from external suppliers, BAMA now sources berries through its Rotterdam-based partner Nature’s Berries. “We also work directly with major Netherlands-based strawberry producers, cutting out expensive middlemen.”

Aiming for 20% growth in fresh cuts

BAMA Industry is one of BAMA Group’s five divisions and produces freshly-processed products, including fresh ready to eat/heat food, for the group’s HoReCa and Grocery business customers. It generated strong sales growth in 2014, a third of which came from products launched in just the last four years. Among these, new vegetable wok mixes and salad products, including two organic salad mixes, showed the most growth.

BAMA sees great promise in such convenience foods. Some European countries have market shares of up to 30–40%, but in Norway it’s still under 5%. “We see a huge market there in the future,” Flaen said. BAMA plans to grow the category through high speed product development, reliable quality, space management and good marketing. “We already have about 15% growth in fresh cuts grocery this year (first 38 weeks of 2015). The target for the category is 20% yearly growth, so we are well on track,” he said.  

Demand for organic, short-travelled & Norwegian produce

  • BAMA’s organic offering includes carrots, potatoes, onions, broccoli, bananas, apples and citrus.
  • Organic produce represents about 3% of BAMA’s total fruit and vegetable sales volume.
  • Demand for Norwegian-grown organic products rose 29% in 2014.

BAMA reports that its consumers show increasing interest in organic, short-travelled and Norwegian produce. In 2014, 60% of products were locally produced, no more than two hours away from the sales outlet. BAMA is collaborating with Gartnerhallen, Norway’s largest farm cooperative, to increase its proportion of Norwegian produce.

Future focus on smaller formats

In terms of goals for BAMA in the next 12 months, Flaen said one is to work on obtaining even better quality across all products. In doing so it will be examining logistics and temperature control, and working a lot on product development. Acknowledging there’s more focus today on food waste, he sees a need for BAMA to develop more products in smaller formats, “so a single household can have their solutions.”

“There will be a lot of focus on smaller packs in years to come,” he said.

source: BAMA annual report 2014 and interview with BAMA CEO Rune Flaen

JB

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Late burst boosts NEPG crop forecast

The estimate for the NEPG (North Western European Potato Growers) crop has been raised by 300,000 tons on that of early October and now stands at nearly 25.16 million tons of consumption potatoes.

The estimate for the NEPG (North Western European Potato Growers) crop has been raised by 300,000 tons on that of early October and now stands at nearly 25.16 million tons of consumption potatoes. According to the NEPG, this reflects good growing conditions at the end of the season in fields that were not haulm killed or harvested. The Belgian crop in particular benefited from the last growth, mainly for varieties other than Bintje. Belgium now estimates its average yield at 51.2 to/ha compared with 47 to/ha at October 1 (brut, ex field).

At time of writing, the new French, British, German and Dutch figures were still two weeks away. Once received, the final NEPG harvest figures will be published. However, production is lower than last season and slightly under the 5-year average. The NEPG reported enormous differences in quality and quantity by area and variety throughout the NEPG countries, and said 2015 has been one of the latest harvest years, according to those countries. There was some concern among growers about the cooling down of the potatoes in the stores, given abnormally high outside temperatures in the NEPG, however the quality in store is good overall, it said.

Export opportunities

Along with the ongoing increase in demand from processors, the export market for fresh potatoes could provide a boost for the upcoming season. Compared with last season, overall the EU has harvested 8 million tons less, so demand can be expected to become more acute in the following weeks or months. As the Bintje tubers are smaller and the dry matter is lower than average, the processing industry will need more raw material to produce the same quantity of finished products, the NEPG said.

The extremely low Euro has increased export opportunities for European processors, but as the North American crop was higher than last year, more worldwide competition is expected. As this year’s potato prices are more attractive than last year, the NEPG is watching for the effect on the market if sugar beet growers decide to plant more potatoes next spring. More plantings have to be based upon specific market demand and an reasonable return of investment, it said. A second update on the 2015 potato harvest was due in early December.

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Traffic light pepper packs remain popular in UK

Retail sales of peppers in the UK were up 10.1% in volume but down 6.6% in value for the 52 weeks to October 11 compared to the same period a year before, Kantar Worldpanel data shows.

Retail sales of peppers in the UK were up 10.1% in volume but down 6.6% in value for the 52 weeks to October 11 compared to the same period a year before, Kantar Worldpanel data shows.

Altogether, 115,720 tons of peppers were sold, for a total spend of £291.4 million (€413m).

The top seller in the pepper category was the traffic light pack, which with just over 50,000 tons sold accounted for 43% of all pepper sales. Sales of this pack were up 20% in volume and 9.4% in value, to nearly £112 million (€413m).

It was a different story however for the next biggest sellers, large mixed packs and red peppers. While sales of the large mixed packs (which accounted for 36% of total sales) were up 14.3% in volume (to 41,798 tons), they were down 8.3% in value, and those of red peppers were down in both volume, by 9.6%, and in value, by 16.7%.

Comparing the two periods, specialty peppers saw by gar the biggest growth in volume and in value, with respective leaps of 120%, to 987 tons, and 46.8%, to £4.7 million (€6.67m). The next highest growth, and off a slightly bigger base, was seen with Ramiro/pointed peppers, which rose 25.4% in volume to 2,597 tons and 11.3% in value to just over £15 million (€21.4m).

All other categories slipped, however.

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Increase in citrus sales in UK

'Easy peelers' (such as tangerines, clementines and satsumas) account for more than half of all citrus fruit sold in UK supermarkets, Kantar Worldpanel data shows.

‘Easy peelers’ (such as tangerines, clementines and satsumas) account for more than half of all citrus fruit sold in UK supermarkets, Kantar Worldpanel data shows.

For the 52 weeks to October 11, oranges were the next most popular citrus fruit, with just under 27% of sales, followed by lemons with 11.3% and grapefruit with 6.5%.

Total citrus sales over this period reached nearly 384,000 tons, which was up 4% on 52 weeks to October 12 last year, and the spend inched up 0.3% to £726.5 million (€1b).

While there was 5.1% growth in the volume of easy peelers sold, the spend was down 0.4%, and for oranges both the volume and value sold were down, by 2.1% and 6.8% respectively.

UK shoppers increased their spend on the other citrus types, however. Lemon sales were up 13% in volume and 14% in value.

The highest growth, though off the smallest base, was for lemon+lime sales, which rose just over 37% in both volume and value.

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German discounters now command a tenth of British grocery sales

Discount retailers Aldi and Lidl have reached a combined 10% share of the British grocery market for the first time, new grocery share figures from Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks to November 8, 2015, show.

Discount retailers Aldi and Lidl have reached a combined 10% share of the British grocery market for the first time, new grocery share figures from Kantar Worldpanel reveal.

The data, for the 12 weeks to November 8, show Lidl’s market share reached a new record high of 4.4%, up 0.7 percentage points on last year thanks to 19% sales growth. Aldi grew sales by 16.5%, keeping its market share at 5.6% for the fifth consecutive month.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said the discounters show no sign of stopping and with plans to open hundreds of stores between them will further widen their reach to the British population.

“If you look back as recently as 2012, Aldi and Lidl only held a 5% share of the market, and it had previously taken them nine years to double their combined share from 2.5%. In the last 12 weeks the two retailers have attracted another additional million shoppers compared with last year while average spend per trip has increased by 4% to £18.85, which is 78p ahead of the total retailer average,” McKevitt said.

Other highlights from the latest data:

  • Sainsbury’s: has seen its fourth consecutive period of growth despite the tough market, with sales up 1.5%
  • Tesco: sales were down by 2.5%
  • Morrisons: sales fell 1.7%
  • Asda: sales dropped 3.5%
  • Waitrose: sales up 2.7%
  • The Co-operative: sales up 1.5% & a 0.1 percentage point gain in market share

Shoppers paying less

Grocery inflation stood at -1.7% for the 12 weeks to November 8, which means shoppers are now paying less for a representative basket of groceries than they did in 2014. “This is the same fall as reported last month. Falling prices reflect the impact of Aldi and Lidl and the market’s competitive response, as well as deflation in some major categories including eggs, butter, bread, crisps and fresh poultry,” Kantar Worldpanel reported.

 

sources
http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/en/Press-Releases/Aldi-and-Lidl-reach-10-per-cent-share-of-the-British-grocery-market-for-the-first-time
http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/en/grocery-market-share/great-britain

 

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Opportunities for fresh produce exports to France

Fresh fruits and vegetables – particularly tropical and exotic – are among the best high value prospects for American companies looking to export to France, according to a report by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

Fresh fruits and vegetables – particularly tropical and exotic – are among the best high value prospects for American companies looking to export to France, according to a report by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

Titled the France Exporter Guide, the report says prime opportunities for U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers are in off-season and extended season sales, as well as during years of short French fruit crops.

“France is the leading European market for U.S. grapefruit and number three in the world after Japan and Canada with 17.5 tons imported in calendar year 2013, valued at $20 million. The U.S. market share for citrus fruits represents 21 percent of total French imports in volume and 25 percent in value. The US was France’s first supplier in volume and value for grapefruit for the first time in 2014, followed by South Africa, Israel and Spain,” it says.

During short-crop years, France imports apples and pears from the US. There is also a niche market for berries, medjool dates, dried prunes, frozen fruits and nuts, fresh cherries, cashew nuts, apples, and other fresh citrus.

“Imports of fresh and dried cranberries from the US have been very successful during the last fifteen years and were valued at more than $1 million in 2014. Transshipments from other EU member states (who do not produce cranberries) were valued at more than $2.2 million the same year.”

Root vegetables among few opportunities for US fresh vegetables

Very few opportunities exist for US fresh vegetables, the report says. “Trends and increased consumption indicate a growing demand for dried and prepared vegetables (washed and cut) and many supermarkets have a special section for these types of products.”

However it advises there may also be demand for organic vegetables, “as the new US/EU organic agreement should open doors for U.S. suppliers.”

And import statistics show US exports of fresh and chilled edible root vegetables to France have increased since 2011. “These exports were valued at $2.4 million versus $626,000 in 2010. FAS Paris initiated contact with French buyers and the American Sweet Potatoes Commission actively promotes this product among the food service industry.”

Move from frozen to fresh prepared foods in food service

The report provides a guide to France’s economic situation and market structure, as well as exporter tips. On the subject of food trends in France it says French consumers desire innovative and more convenient foods offering a quality image, better taste, and increased health benefits

It also mentions that the French food service industry is moving towards fresh consumer-ready products at the expense of frozen foods.
 


Under this category, dried nuts are the majority of U.S. exports, the report says.


 

source: France Exporter Guide, GAIN report FR9175
image of the Eiffel tower as seen from the Champ de Mars: by Edisonblus (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Poland’s Fresh Market Conference attracts industry leaders

At Fresh Market Conference 2015, Bioekspert’s Dorota Metera talks about the marketing and sale of organic produce in supermarkets in Poland.

This year’s Fresh Market Conference was held on September 25 in the Polish town of Ożarów Mazowiecki at the stylish Mazurkas Hotel. It was the key opportunity of the year in Poland to establish business contacts personally with the biggest retail chains, with clients from 15 countries.

The most important event of the year for Poland’s fruit and vegetable industry, Fresh Market Conference was created in response to the changing needs of the market. The core of the conference involved trade consultations between fresh produce suppliers and representatives of retail chains, providing excellent opportunities to make deals and exchange of new ideas on how to cooperate efficiently in Poland’s fresh produce sector.

Widely promoted in foreign trade media, the Fresh Market Conference was also an opportunity for participants to present and promote their products, whether in the conference catalogue, during a lecture by them, or by purchasing a sponsor package. In the course of one day, famous groups and companies such as Sunsad, Redskar, Polfarm, Coshtella, Markiepol and Fruitino met with chains such as Kaufland, Dino, Tesco, Carrefour, Intermarche, Selgros, Makro, Piotr & Paweł and Marcpol. In addition to these meetings, this year’s conference gave participants many valuable opportunities to establish contacts with international firms. Over 160 companies from Poland, Italy, Spain, France, Chile, Ukraine, Holland, Egypt, Denmark, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Turkey and Greece were participants.

In the market halls, buyers and conference guests were able to visit many fresh produce stands and talk to traders of companies such as Jan Oskam, Suncrop  France, Societa Agricola Mioorto Srl, Frutti Felici Soc. Coop. Agricola, Frutas Hortisol, SL and Fairtrasa Holland B.V. Guests could also meet producers of containers and find out about the offerings from suppliers of refrigeration and other services for the fruit and vegetable industry. The conference’s ‘matchmakers’ were specially trained for the occasion to help make the contacts between business partners as useful as possible.

The third part of the conference and fairs consisted of lectures by fresh produce industry experts covering areas such as the current trade situation for the sector, price analysis and forecasts for the coming season. During the panel discussion, participants had the opportunity to ask the experts questions of interest to them, obtaining professional support and advice for their company.

A lecture by Zbigniew Niesiobędzki, representing the Polish-Chinese Business Council, addressed a very relevant topic for fresh produce producers and exporters – how to conquer the Chinese market, particularly in the context of existing commercial opportunities, the many legal regulations that sometimes hamper sales, and the outlook for bilateral development. Bioekspert’s Dorota Metera, meanwhile, focused on the marketing and sale of organic produce in supermarkets in Poland. Metera highlighted that organic fruit and vegetables are now on the shelves of every supermarket chain in Poland and increasingly bought by customers who value organic fruit and vegetables for health reasons. And Piotr Barański from Fern Partners gave an interesting lecture on the management of prices and profitability in the fruit and vegetable sector.

 Meetings of companies with retail chains.

Awards for the most innovative product and for the product chosen by readers of the fresh-market.pl portal were made during the conference. This year, four products competed for the award: the kiwi Soreli presented by Frutti Felici, the MPaper packaging produced by the Spanish company Cristobal Meseguer, the new broccoli EasyBroq from Syngenta and the Palermo pepper from Rijk Zwaan. The Fresh Market Award – Product of the year 2015 went to Rijk Zwaan for the Palermo. This product was also chosen by fresh-market.pl readers and won the prize in internet voting.

Kaufland conquers smaller and medium size towns

The retailer Kaufland is presently one of two major food chains in Poland which is growing fast. It plans to open 30 new stores in in Poland this year. Along with Lidl, Kaufland is part of the Schwarz group, which is investing in many modern supermarkets throughout the country. The group has so far built nearly 400 Kaufland hypermarkets and supermarkets in mini-centers, shopping malls and housing estates, both in big cities and medium size towns. Kaufland now offers its customers a fresh fruit and vegetables assortment several times bigger than that of discount outlets in Poland.

Kaufland promotes organic Polish produce

Particular emphasis is put on the highest quality of organic fresh produce and on locally grown potatoes, onion, cabbages, carrot. lettuce, apples, pears, plums, cherries and nuts, according to Kaufland’s fresh produce purchase manager Krystian Nowakowski. In Poland, the most recognisable of Kaufland’s store brand fresh produce – a key part of its growth – are organic apples, bananas, lemons, tomatoes, peppers and onions. These products are sold under its FreshLine label. Kaufland also offers its own brand products under the K-classic label for premium fresh produce sold at prices that are very competitive compared to other Polish supermarkets, including discounters, Nowakowski said.

Increase in fresh produce sales

The amount of fresh fruit and vegetables sold by Kaufland in the first nine months of 2014 was up 8% and 12% respectively on the same periods in 2013 and 2012, Nowakowski said. Net revenue for fresh produce in Jan-Sept last year was 2.66% above that for the same period in 2013.
The top sellers among the fresh produce sold at Kaufland stores in Poland items were apples, with sales up 11% for Jan-Sept 2014, and tomatoes, up 13%, Nowakowski said. Kaufland’s spending on promotion, marketing and strengthening the chain’s image was 3.5% higher in three quarters of 2014 of than in the same time in 2013.

Biedronka maintains the high level of its fresh produce

Fruit and vegetables are still among the most important items in Biedronka stores in Poland and, as much as possible, based on local Polish produce. For several years, Biedronka has been developing its fresh produce offering according to with the focus on maximising freshness. According to Biedronka’s media spokesperson Agnieszka Pelc-Sławińska, this year the chain started selling apples from Poland by specific varieties, so as to increase the ability of its customers to purchase their favourite fruits. “We are continuing to expand our assortment of organic fresh produce by offering apple varieties such as Gala, Jonagold and Ligol,” Pelc-Sławińska said. “Apart from apples, we offer also pears – the Lukasówka, Conference and Klapsa varieties. and in tomatoes, for example, from the start of this year the local variety tomimaru muchoo.
“We note the rise in sale of fruit and vegetables in all our 2,600 stores in over 1,000 locations, Pelc-Sławińska said. “We plan to open 300 more outlets in the next three years. Regarding fresh produce sales, in 2014 we sold 1.5% more fruit and 1.8% more vegetables than in 2013. The biggest rise was in the category of apples – up 4.9% on 2013 and up 3.1% for Jan-Sep this year compared to the same months last year.” The growth for vegetables was slightly lower. “In 2014, we sold 0.8 % more tomatoes and 0.6% more peppers than in 2013. However, for the year to September 2015 we have sold 0.5% more tomatoes and 0.3% more peppers compared to the same period last year,” Pelc-Sławińska said.

The retailer Dino in new locations in Poland

Based totally on Polish capital, the retailer Dino this year once again participated in the Fresh Market Conference. Maciej Galicki, from Dino’s commercial department for fruit and vegetables, said the chain aimed to meet with retail representatives to discuss increased trade, and to connect with suppliers of quality Polish produce.
“Dino is well-known for the very good class of products in its stores,” Galicki said. “Today our chain is present, with over 350 stores, in big and small towns in many regions of the country. In 2015, we have opened almost 100 new shops. The average sales area is 1,100 m² and the assortment reaches 28,000 items.
“In view of the combination of cheaper fruit and vegetables and the weaker buying abilities of many Polish clients, we emphasise the wide choice of very good quality fruit and vegetables from the healthy Polish countryside. About 7% of all these products comprise fruit and vegetables that are sold under our own label, ‘Everyday fresh deliveries’. We are very conscious of the taste and quality that consumers demand from our fruits and vegetables.
“People seek often particular varieties of fresh produce. Besides, they are keen on purchasing ready-made snacks based on fresh fruits and vegetables, or even ready-to-eat fresh dishes. We have introduced new lines of such products that are still little-known by Polish customers. We plan to sell these fruit novelties in all our stores.”
“In the next three years, we plan to invest €9 million annually in construction and in transforming our stores across the country. Now we are focused on new locations in regions such as Małopolska or central Poland, where we plan to open 50-70 new outlets, and in Silesia, where we plan to open 30,” Galicki said.

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New fresh cut products at Tesco

Two new snack offerings in the fresh fruit and vegetable range at Tesco.

New from UK supermarket chain Tesco in the ready-to-eat fruit category is this cut and peeled mix of kiwi fruit, strawberry and melon.

With a ‘1 of 5 a day’ reminder on the lid, the 130g serve of melon (40%), kiwi fruit (33%) and strawberry (27%) is priced at £1.20 (£9.24/kg) at Tesco.com.

Also labelled new, is Tesco’s Ploughman’s Snack Pack.

This 330g serve of fruit and vegetables with cheddar cheese, silverskin onions and a pot of pickle is priced at £2.00 (£6.07/kg).