Lidl is exporting more than 500 tons per month of Rocha Pear from Portugal to its stores in Germany.
According to Lidl's purchasing director in Portugal, Pedro Monteiro, the agreement with Portugal Fresh (Association for the Promotion of Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers) has been in force since last September and has led to the export of 1,500 tons of Rocha Pear.
The Rocha Pear (Pêra Rocha) is a renowned Portuguese variety of pear, produced in the Oeste region by nearly 9,500 producers.
Previously, Lidl had been exporting Rocha Pear to the UK, Ireland, France and Spain, but now seven trucks a week take the fruit to Germany, carrying 140 tonnes. Lidl has been a gateway for other Portuguese fruits, exporing watermelons to France (1,200 tonnes) and raspberries to Germany (550 tonnes).
Germany is Portugal's eighth biggest market for the export of fruits and vegetables, accounting for 3 per cent of total exports or about €20 million.
Based still on provisional data, Portugal Fresh estimates that the fruit and vegetables sector ended 2014 with €1.1 billion in export revenue, which corresponds to an increase of 10% compared to 2013 and about 45% compared to 2010. According to the president of the association, Manuel Évora, the goal is to double exports by 2020 to €2 billion.
The major markets for Portuguese vegetables and fruits are Spain (28%), France (14%), the UK (10%), the Netherlands (9%) and Angola (5%).
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Story by Branislav Pekic
