A bit of statistics Get your fruit trees growing

Fresh tropical fruits (excluding bananas) are still winning places on world markets. While total fresh fruit production has risen by 4% annually since 1997, some exports of diverse fruits have grown by more than 10% annually. The bulk of these fruits (98%) are grown in developing countries and the biggest importers are the European Union (41%) and North America (33%). Nonetheless, the traded amount is only a fraction of the total production; less than 10% of the fresh fruits are shipped abroad. More than 40% of fresh fruits exports originate from Latin America and the Caribbean. Africa, in particular Côte d Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, accounts for 14% of world trade. The latest figures show that pineapple accounts for 44% of the total traded volume, followed by mangoes (27%), avocados (12%) and papayas (7%). The increase in demand is mainly thanks to the growing familiarity of consumers with tropical fruits; their taste, nutritional value and cooking qualities. Other fruits like rambutan, lychee, carambola, passion fruit and guava are no longer strangers on foreign markets either. The major hurdles for exporters to overcome are strict regulations and standards imposed by the importers, including sanitary, phytosanitary and logistical marketing requirements.Fresh tropical fruits (excluding bananas) are still winning places on world markets. While total fresh fruit production has risen by 4% annually since 1997, some exports of diverse fruits have grown by more than 10% annually. The bulk of these..