INTERNATIONAL TRENDS IN THE FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SECTOR

Exports were traditionally a small share of the market for perishable fruits and vegetables (albeit varying widely by commodity and country), owing in large part to trade barriers and the technical difficulty and expense of long-distance shipping. Trade liberalization as implemented under the new World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as through regional trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has expanded market access and provided strengthened mechanisms for combating non-tariff trade barriers such as scientifically unfounded sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) restrictions.

Furthermore, major advances in postharvest handling technology have improved control over the cold chain, a necessary condition for long distance shipping of highly perishable commodities. Technical possibilities have combined with demand and supply side factors to stimulate expanded and less specialized horticultural trade flows, involving more diverse commodities, countries, and marketing channels.

Specifically, it is the growing global demand for year-round availability of a broader line of high quality fresh produce that is stimulating trade, since no country produces suitable quantities and qualities of all fresh fruits and vegetables in every week of the year.

This chapter describes current trends in the international trade of fresh fruits and vegetables, and explores the future outlook. The emphasis is on trends in the U.S., Latin America and Europe, rather than in Africa and Asia.

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