The general public is unfamiliar with medlars, yet every year a fair number of them are imported. Importer Jonckheere has them in his selection every year. “We have just started with them, and they are doing well. It is a delicious, juicy fruit which is eaten mostly by ‘foreign Belgians,’” Cédric Geens says.
Volumes are increasing
The season has only just started. “We are now receiving just a few pallets from Spain per week, but within two weeks that will be a full lorry. Volumes are slowly increasing. Prices usually start fairly high, at the start of the season it was 6 Euro per kilo. That has already dropped to 3 Euro, and I expect medlars to be even cheaper at the end of the season.”
Uninterested
Consumption among ‘ordinary’ Belgians is low, according to Geens. “This is because the product is usually not available in supermarkets. The problem is that retailers are not always interested in introducing, or drawing attention to, new products. Innovating with new selections is not something they care for. Fruit and vegetable selections in retail are cut more and more often. Supply is becoming smaller.”
Less wide
Geens expects this tendency to continue in the future. “The inclination is that fruit and vegetable selections in supermarkets are becoming less extensive. Consumers will be on the lookout for certain fruits and vegetables that are in season. You can see this with the asparagus, that is a great time for many people. There are still retailers that carry everything in stock year-round, but the time of always carrying all special and exotic products will not last much longer. There will be certain imported products we will not see anymore. Focus will be on seasonal products. It is not a positive message for importers, but it is for the sales of fruits and vegetables in supermarkets.”
