Brazil: Invisible Barriers to Fresh Fruit Export Sales

Three Worlds One Vision

Workers collect melons harvested on farm in Northeast Brazil

Source: Blogspot Carlos Costa – 30 March 2012 (carlocosta.blogspot.com)

 

As import-export manager at Melon Exporters S.A. (fictitious name), I had a lot to learn about the fresh fruit market. Selling high quality fruits on the overseas markets required much more than a good and bountiful harvest.  Questions raised by a large prospective European client, scheduled to visit our Head Office and melon farm, left me flabbergasted. I passed on the news received from our commercial director in Rotterdam to the owner and president of Melon Exporters S.A.

Doutor Antônio, the new client wants to know if our farm workers have toilet facilities and if they practice proper hygiene… Do they think we’re backwards?”

“They can come and see,” he told me, unperturbed.

When I first joined the company, I visited the farm and met the farm manager, agronomists…

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Comments

  • de castro  On 08/06/2012 at 8:49 am

    tried to download 416 words unsuccessfully…will try later…
    I buy BRAZILIAN melons in my local “mercado” here in southern
    spain (andalucia) as the Spanish grown melons are not as “sweet”….weather has a lot to do with the sugar content….I think north BRAZIL s weather is ideal for melon growning…
    I planted the melon seeds (brazilian) this spring and will soon be tasting the fruit for “sweetness”….
    GM modified Melons will soon “hit” the Euro market as the scientists try to “immitate” the Brazilian melons….will also taste one of those for the “sweetness”…hopefully I dont
    poison myself
    with the “immitation” CC

    kamptan

  • guyaneseonline  On 08/06/2012 at 2:00 pm

    Go to this link:

    http://rosalienebacchus.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/brazil-invisible-barriers-to-fresh-fruit-export-sales/

    This entry is from the Blog site by Guyana-born Rosaliene Bacchus , who lived in Brazil for a number of years before migrating to California.USA.

  • Rosaliene Bacchus  On 08/06/2012 at 4:59 pm

    Cyril, thanks for sharing my blogpost. Much appreciated.

    Kamptan, so happy to hear that you like the Brazilian melons. Knowing that families in Europe were eating and enjoying melons produced by the company I worked for gave me great satisfaction.

    The melons produced in the Northwest Region of Brazil enjoy sunshine all year round using irrigation systems.

  • de castro  On 08/13/2012 at 8:55 am

    Rosaliene
    cc cyril
    thanks …the yellow variety shown is not as popular as the green more egg shaped ones…less sugar content when ripe.
    I grow many varieties but most successful here is the SANGRIA
    or “water-melon” as much more liquid refreshment….also
    much more KGs per fruit.
    I buy the different varieties in my local mercado so can confirm that the green egg shaped BRAZILIAN are the sweetest.
    addicted to sugar cafine alcohol and nicotine but mostly “LOVE” …and I am no LOVE_ADICT..ha ha !
    kamptan

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