Apples
New Zealand dominated the trade with Braeburn, Royal Gala, Pink and Jazz apples. Chile was second and shipped Cripps Pink, Granny Smith and Pink Lady to the German market. South Africa supplied Braeburn and Cripps Pink apples and Argentina shipped Royal Gala. The demand could be satisfied despite the slightly lower supply. Most prices stayed on last week’s level. Only in Hamburg the Royal Gala from New Zealand and Cripps Pink from South Africa became more expensive. The German Jonagold and Elstar and the Italian Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples dominated the stored apples trade. A reasonable demand didn’t change the course of the prices. This seasons supply increased. The German Sommerregent, Collina and White/Yellow transparent were added to the already available German Lodi and Astramel. The French Jerseymac and the Italian Delcorf were new additions and completed the range.
Lettuce
The German iceberg lettuce dominated the trade. The supply was adjusted to the sales possibilities. Thus the prices remained on the same level. Munich was an exception, due to the lower demand the prices dropped. Customers sometimes preferred the Dutch iceberg lettuce, because these were slightly cheaper than the German iceberg lettuce.
The German loose-leaf lettuce dominated the trade but had to deal with competition from Belgium. The quality wasn’t always high. The prices of the German products went down, due to the increased availability. Frankfurt was an exception; the prices remained stable. The prices of the Belgium loose-leaf lettuce fluctuated hugely.
The sales of mixed salad haven’t changed much. Due to a decrease in availability the prices remained constant, with a few upward exceptions on Friday. The low demand of lamb’s lettuce could be satisfied by the import from Belgium. They got about the same price as the previous week.
Pears
The start of the European season livened up the trade. But the demand was low, due to the unconvincing quality and the high prices.
Grapes
The range of varieties from Spain and Italy decreased. The availability of Moroccan and Egyptian grapes decreased too. The prices remained stable when the quality was satisfactory; sometimes price reductions were necessary.
Strawberries
The supply went down, but due to the lower demand this barely influenced the prices. The strawberries had a very uneven quality. Both the colour and condition varied. A wide price range reflected this.
Apricots
The low availability stabilized the prices. The flavour of the sweet Turkish apricots didn’t convince people and that negatively influenced their sales. The German apricots were sold off quickly.
Peaches and nectarines
Italy took over the first position from Spain. The availability went down, but the supply was large enough to satisfy the continuous, and sometimes lively demand. The prices, depending on supply and demand, were very different on each market.
Cherries
Although the supply went down it was still larger than the demand. Thus the prices dropped. Some batches of cherries had quality flaws. Particularly the large cherries found buyers quickly. But it was not always possible to prevent price reductions.
Plums
The range of German plums increased quickly. The availability grew immensely and was larger than the demand. Price reductions could hardly be avoided, especially because the flavour of many varieties wasn’t always good.
Kiwis
The supply was in balance with the demand, therefore the prices didn’t change much.
Lemons
The prices remained on the same level, only in Hamburg the lemons from Uruguay became cheaper due to the competition of South African lemons.
Bananas
The prices stayed at the same level, due to the adjustment of the supply to the demand.
Cauliflowers
The warm summer weather had a negative influence on the sales. The traders adapted the supply to the lower demand, this way the prices remained stable.
Cucumbers
The manageability of the supply caused stable prices. But no later than Wednesday the supply went up and the quality of the cucumbers fluctuated. This caused price reductions.
Sweet peppers
The Dutch peppers dominated the market. And as usual the demand, the availability and the freshness influence the fluctuating prices and influence the trade.
Onions
Spanish onions flooded the market. The prices mostly remained at the same level, but sometimes the low availability caused the prices to drop.
