lon season is about to start. Levarht expects its first melons by the end of next week, quickly followed by the watermelons. "The growing conditions in Brazil have been good; even though some have had to face droughts, so far these have had no impact on the productions," says Frank Levarht. Levarht traditionally imports melons from Brazil until the end of January, after which it switches to Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras. The majority of overseas melons are supplied by Levarht under its own brand Sweet Kiss. "What I hear from the growers and seed companies is that the distribution between the different varieties is fairly stable," said Frank."At the moment the melon market is pretty bad, with an oversupply of Spanish produce. I expect another week or two with Spanish Galias and about three weeks with Spanish watermelons on the market, but the quantities and quality are both sharply dropping," explains Frank . A stronger domestic demand in Brazil is something the importer does not fear. "For the European market, it is not so bad if fewer volumes arrive. Last year, there were still some melons in Brazil from November and I hope this year it will be the same. We start slowly and gradually build up the volume. We are really looking forward to it!"
Participation Asia Fruit Logistica
This year, Levarht will be an exhibitor at Asia Fruit Logistica, held from 3 to September 5 in Hong Kong, for the first time. "We have been strong in overseas markets for year, with a focus on Japan. We want to spread this success story into other Asian countries, not only with greenhouse vegetables, but also fruits," says commercial manager Claas van Os. "Last year we employed a Chinese colleague with a great expertise in the entire chain, from grower to consumer. We have already managed to spark interest from other Asian countries. With our participation in Asia Fruit Logistica, we hope to expand our network in Asia."
