Banana sales to rise by 10%, says Dole boss

Victor Esquivel, the Frenchman that Dole brought at the helm of Romanian operations in 2009, in the wake of Distrifrut distributor takeover, says we will have to close a gap of 10 kg per capita in terms of fresh fruit consumption compared with the EU average.

Esquivel anticipates Dole Romania, with 85 employees at present, will end 2010 with 35m-euro turnover, up from the level reached in the previous period. Banana sales account for three quarters of the company's Romanian turnover.

The company's headcount is now around two times lower than in 2008. Esquivel says this is because of the reorganisation of the distributor's business in a difficult year for the market.

The domestic fresh fruit market, now valued at over 100m euros, will see growth once the gaps between domestic consumption and the EU average narrow, but also as a result of Romanians' switch to healthy eating habits, based on fresh fruit and vegetables, Esquivel forecasts. "(...) The growth potential depends on each segment; for instance, banana consumption in Romania is 20-30% below the EU average and I see domestic growth prospects of over 10% per year on this segment," he says.