Victor Esquivel, the Frenchman that Dole brought at the helm ofRomanian operations in 2009, in the wake of Distrifrut distributortakeover, says we will have to close a gap of 10 kg per capita interms 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 inthe previous period. Banana sales account for three quarters of thecompany's Romanian turnover.
The company's headcount is now around two times lower than in2008. Esquivel says this is because of the reorganisation of thedistributor'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 theEU average narrow, but also as a result of Romanians' switch tohealthy eating habits, based on fresh fruit and vegetables,Esquivel forecasts. "(...) The growth potential depends on eachsegment; for instance, banana consumption in Romania is 20-30%below the EU average and I see domestic growth prospects of over10% per year on this segment," he says.
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