Contrary to the desire for local produce, exotic fruits are still rising in demand. Drewery’s Reefer Annual Review and Forecast 2020/21 report stated that seaborne trade in exotic fruits outgrew that of all other major commodity groups.
Seaborne trade of exotics rose at an average annual rate of 5%. But it takes many years for trees to bear these fruits, so this trend cannot have occurred overnight. It is the product of many years of rising demand in the UK.
The pineapple trade has slowed, but mangos, persimmons, durians, and avocados have seen soaring demand. In 2019, mangos were the second-largest exotic fruit export after pineapples with 1.3 million metric tonnes of seaborne traffic. There has been an average annual growth rate of 5.2% over the previous 10-year period.
So, on the one side, we are seeing an increase in demand for locally sourced fresh produce but on the other side, a continuous and steady rise in demand for exotics. Therefore, it is fair to say that overall demand for fresh produce, whether local or exotic, has increased steadily the last decade.