"There where very few papayas on the market this week,” says Zlatko Ertl of the company Richard Ostermeier. "The amount of papayas varied from supplier to supplier. While at present some suppliers can provide little or no papayas, others are sending their products to Europe without problems."
The wholesaler gets his papayas from Brazil all year round. “Our papayas are solely delivered per air freight. This means that the fruit reaches us within 24 hours,” explains Ertl, “If they are shipped per boat the papayas simply are too long on the road.”
"Only the products we really need”
“If the quantity or the quality aren’t sufficient then the suppliers won’t even ship the product to Europe. Because the suppliers have to pay if there is a complaint. That is why we only get the products we really need,” says the fruit expert.
Stable prices
Despite the lower supply the prices remained stable. “The last four weeks the demand is rather slow,” according to Ertl. “It is unclear how long this will continue.” The wholesaler from Munich trades with the Formosa and the Golden Papaya varieties. “The demand for the Golden Papaya, a small variety, is very low. The Formosa has pushed the smaller papaya off the market.” According to Zlatko Ertl, cultivation is the reason for the shift: “The Formosa is easier to cultivate and offers a more reliable quality.”
Wide product range
The company Richard Ostermeier is located at the wholesale market in Munich and has many years of experience in the import of fruit. The wide product range contains tropical and exotic fruit, as well as specialty vegetables from Southern Europe.
