Fresh Fruit and Vegetables 2008 -2014

Help has arrived for exporters from developing countries (DCs) struggling to market their fresh fruit and vegetables in the European Union. The CBI´s new Export Coaching Programme (ECP) for Fresh Fruit & Vegetables has been especially designed to help DC companies with export ambition and potential to surmount the many obstacles separating them from sustainable European sales.

 

The ECP was launched this year and lasts until 2014.

The European fresh fruit and vegetables market offers good opportunities for exports from developing countries (DCs). European buyers are particularly interested in exotic fruits and off-season produce to compensate for low European production in the winter timeThe CBI´s ECP for Fresh Fruit & Vegetables was preceded by a feasibility survey, which convinced the CBI of the potential for DC products on this market as well as of the need among exporters for training and assistance. The EU´s current 27 member states together consumed some 75 million tonnes of (fresh) fruit and 62 million tonnes of vegetables in 2005.

 

The market is more or less saturated. Much of Europe´s fruit and veggies are homegrown and exported. Some 23 million tonnes of fruit and just over 10 million tonnes of vegetables were imported in 2005 – mainly exotic and off-season produce.

 

As consumers become more and more health-conscious and supermarkets increase their purchasing power, suppliers are confronted with increasingly rigorous demands in areas like planning, communications and logistics, systematic production and harvesting processes, quality, continuity and food safety. Many buyers expect suppliers to be certified for HACCP, GlobalGAP and / or BRC. In the new ECP, all of these issues and more will be thoroughly addressed throughout an intensive, 7-year programme that includes on-site company audits and counselling, an in-depth training at home and in Europe and participation in leading European trade fairs. The single purpose of the ECP is to enable participating export companies to establish a healthy, long-term position on EU/EFTA markets.