EASTERN EUROPE – A POTENTIAL MARKET FOR TROPICAL FRUITS

East European socialist countries include the Soviet Union (population 250 mln.), Poland (34 mln.), German Democratic Republic (17 mln.), Czechoslovakia (14.5 mln.), Hungary (10.5 mln.), Rumania (21 mln.) and Bulgaria (8.7 mln.). Total population 355.5 mln. and total domestic fruit production – 14 million tons, close to 40 kg per capita per year.
With few exceptions there is no commercial citrus or other tropical and subtropical fruit production in Eastern Europe.
So far little tropical fruit is imported, only 934,000 tons of citrus fruits and 135,000 tons of bananas in 1973.

Imports of citrus fruits increased by 21% between 1971 and 1973, and of bananas by 16%. Faster increase of imports took place in 1974 and 1975.

If the pattern in fruit consumption in European socialist countries follows a similar trend to that in the U.S.A, we can assume that these countries will greatly and rapidly increase their import of tropical fruits.

African countries have a good chance to participate in that increase since they are closest to Europe.

IV Africa Symposium on Horticultural Crops

S.A. Pieniazek

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1977.53.40