1. Opportunities & challenges
for Tropical Fruit & Exotics
from Colombia on the
Dutch / EU market

2. Some Basic FFV numbers:
• 1990 – 2010
• Vegetable production worldwide
increased 60 %
• Fruit production worldwide
increased 100 %

3. Some Basic FFV numbers:
• 2005 - 2011
• Fruit & Vegetable production
Colombia increased from 9,2 –
10,2 million tons
• Export value of Colombia Tropical
and exotic Fruit in 2012 reached
48,6 million USD.

4. Some Basic FFV numbers:
• 2011
Main fruits exported:
• Bananas 36 %
• Physalis 24 %
• Passion fruit 8 %
• Baby bananas 5 %
• Granadilla 2 %

5. Example products with high
market potential in Europe:
• Avocado Hass
• Limon Tahiti
• Melons (Piel de Sapo, Yellow
Honey Dew, Cantaloupe, Galia)
• Watermelons (Quetzali, seedless)
• Pomegranates (depending on
window of supply)

6. Consumption FFV / year
Europe
• Vegetables 60 mln tons
• Fruit 54 mln tons

7. Import Volumes 2011
• Vegetables 3.8 mln tons
• Fruit 12.9 mln tons

8. EU Market
• 28 countries
• 500 million consumers
• 28 different cultures
• 28 different eating patterns
• 28 different average income
levels
• 28 different business mentalities

10. The Netherlands
Nederland
Holland
Holanda
Paises Bajos
• 16.5 Million population
• 41.526 Sq Km

12. Gateway to Europe:
• Schiphol Airport
• Rotterdam Sea Port

14. Future Developments for the supply
from emerging countries:
• Economic development new EU members
• Growing importance Retail organizations
• Increasing demand for food safety
• Changing role importers towards chain
management
• Growing demand for convenience, exotics
and niche products
• Increasing demand for Sustainability and
CSR

15. Credit Crisis
Short term threats:
• Loss of confidence consumer
• Less spending
• Credit insurance more difficult
• Banks more careful with overdrafts
• Exceeding of Payment terms

16. Growing importance of
large Retail
Organizations
• Approx 75 % of FFV sold via the
supermarkets
• Concentration in buying power
• Demand for high level of
professionalism of the producers
• Food safety, programs, continuity
• Chain control from seed to shelf

17. Approx 75 % of all fresh fruits &
vegetables are sold via the
supermarkets in Europe

18. Approx 75 % of all fresh
fruits & vegetables are
sold via the
supermarkets in Europe

19. Approx 75 % of all
fresh fruits &
vegetables are
sold via the
supermarkets in
Europe

20. Changing Role of the
importer
• Change to supply chain manager
• Control on programs from
production to supermarket
• Control on the logistic chain

21. Quality:
• Quality is not longer an issue
• Everyone demands first class
• No secondary markets
• High costs for destruction

25. EU enlargement:
• Higher income / lower
consumption
• Shift from basic volume
products to diversity F & V
products
• More availability of other food
products as snacks and junk
food.

26. Logistics:
• New logistic connections to new
EU members
• Development of new import
companies in new EU countries
• More direct shipments, surpassing
the traditional importers

27. Exotics:
• Higher consumer income
• Increased Travel to distant
holiday destinations
• Large Ethnic communities

28. Food Safety:
• Key issue
• Demand for food safety protocols
• General food legislation
• Stricter control on MRL’s (maximum
residue levels)
• Harmonized in the EU per 01-09-
2008
• Supermarkets increasingly stricter
than European laws

29. Certificates:
• Need to follow protocols
• GlobalGap a minimum entrée
ticket to the EU market.
• Growing demand for protocols
as BRC, HACCP and others
• Without certificates only spot
market access.

30. Hygiëne ?

31. Organic:
• Growing market for organic
• Demand larger than supply
• Supermarkets only interested in
programs
• Consumer not really ready to
pay more

32. Sustainability / CSR
• Care for the environment
• Carbon footprint
• Local for local
• Growing consumer awareness on
social circumstances
• Ethical trade
• Fair trade

38. Health:

39. Health:
• Higher standard of living /
more concern for health
issues
• Overweight a major concern
• Governmental and EU
campaigns to promote
consumption of fresh F + V
• Possibilities for the trade to
emphasize health claims

42. Convenience:
• Higher income / more demand for
convenience products
• Prepared, sliced, pre-cooked
• Snack packs
• Prepared in production countries
• Convenience, innovation and
problem solving

47. Innovation / Added
value:
• New concepts
• Ready to eat programs
• Product development
• Kids marketing

56. Ethnic markets:
• Large populations immigrants
• Own food cultures
• Growing consumption of ‘ethnic’
food
• Integrating into the native kitchen
• Specialized ethnic shops
• Long term, assimilation in main
stream supermarkets

57. Opportunities for
developing countries:
• Anticipation on increase of scale in
the supply chain
• Increasing demand for outsourcing
• Marketing towards new EU members
• Value adding / convenience
• Niche products / windows of supply

58. Critical factors:
• Increasing level of professionalism
• Focus on food Safety protocols
• Quality as basis
• Focus on logistics
• Increased scale of production
• Improvement of communication

59. Thank you!