Movement of grapefruit is usually slow around the end of the year, so it was not unexpected when the grapefruit market slowed down in France in December. But January brought better sales as well as better prices.
“Citrus starts up in January, when people look to cleanse themselves,” said Olivier Fakhri of Georges Helfer. “Arrivals were lighter because of a previous bad market, but now the market is more active.” There were some quality issues with fruit coming from Florida, and some of the smaller sizes were scarce. Prices, however, for that fruit remain the highest of all the fruit that's available, with a carton from Florida going for about 25 Euro per box.
“Arrivals from Florida will last until mid-April,” said Oliver, “and that will transit well into South African supplies that will start in late-April or early-May.” While citrus greening is affecting supplies coming out of Florida, Olivier believes declining consumption is a larger issue. While Texas fruit continues making inroads in Europe, especially because of its increasing quality and slightly lower price, Florida fruit is still prized as the premier grapefruit.
Israeli and Turkish fruit is also available, with the former selling for about 14 Euro per carton and the latter for about nine Euro per carton. Spanish fruit is selling for about 10-12 Euro per carton. The market should remain stable to slightly higher in prices as March is usually one of the best consuming months of the year.
