The last lychee newsletter (Lettre du litchi) confirms that the lychee season in Europe has reached an end : “No longer in consumption at all, the fruit is now at the bottom of consumer’s shopping lists. Despite a still satisfactory quality and prices still decreasing, sales continue at a particularly slow pace”.
The end of season is particularly complicated in France where there is a lack of demand. The remaining fruits are being sorted and older products put aside. Some lots are still sent to large retailers, at lower prices allowing for special offers. Products of lower quality are sent to the wholesale markets. These products are offered at €1-2 per 2kg package. Some extra batches from South Africa are sold between €2.25-2.75/kilo depending on calibres.
Some one-off Malagasy and South African lychee sales have been reported in Germany, retailers are no longer interested in the products. However, now that the Malagasy lychee season has ended in Belgium and Holland last week, South African lychees are in turn progressively reaching their close (with an increase in prices for large calibres).
