Guatemala: New markets for exotic fruits

 Exotic fruits, such as rambutan and achacha, are increasingly more common in markets around the wor…

 Exotic fruits, such as rambutan and achacha, are increasingly more common in markets around the world and in the daily diets of consumers, especially of Europeans. This has benefited the exports of some companies, such as Prime Tropics, which have expanded their markets destination.

The last campaign was very positive for Prime Tropics, which made exports to Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, England, and Singapore, even though their main market for exotic continues to be the United States.

Edilson Hernandez, of Prime Tropics, said "we're very happy because we've managed to introduce the fruit of Amazonian origin, in this case the achacha, to the markets. However, its marketing has been very slow. More and more people are consuming this unique exotic fruit due to its exquisite flavor."

The exotic fruits with the highest production are the rambutan and the achacha, but Prime Tropics is working to introduce other fruits, such as the mangosteen, the sapodilla, and the finger lime. "All of our fruits have the Global Gap certificate to provide consumer safety," Hernandez said.

The rambutan and achacha season goes from May to September, while the mangosteen is harvested from July to August, the sapodilla from July to October, and, starting 2019, finger lime will be harvested throughout the whole year.