The Latin American pitahaya sees a great future in the Asian and North American market

The dragon fruitknown in the world as ‘dragon fruit’, due to its particular scaly appearance, is one of the star products of Latin America that is making its way more and more in different markets outside our continent, as the consumers of this fruit are increasing more and more.

The many health benefits of its different varieties have made international markets, to a greater extent in Asia and the United States, interested in the production of this fruit in our region.

And it is precisely to the varieties that the capacity of this product turns in the different markets. This is what Juan Vera points out, a pioneer in the export of pitahaya in our neighboring country of Ecuador, who has been in the sector for 12 years:

LOOK: Pitahaya: know the benefits of consuming dragon fruit

“With the access of the pitahaya, in general terms, of all varieties, a very interesting panorama has been opened for this whole issue due to the opening of the market for Asian consumers, and the market continues to develop for American consumers and for the Spanish speaking market. The expectations are quite interesting.”

Yellow pitahaya ideal for the Asian market

Thus, he tells us that the yellow pitahaya variety is the most requested in the Asian market, since the red varieties are produced in many countries of this continent, however, it is not possible to do the same with the yellow pitahaya.

“Mainly with the varieties that come out of season, let’s talk about the yellow pitahaya, which has a fairly high level of importance, also the red pitahaya with white pulp, because that is how it is more or less qualified in the varieties. They all have their level of importance by difference, but it is more marked by the season they come out, ”he indicates.

Yellow pitahaya, a variety with good reception in the Asian market.

“The Asian market is all the time. But they have research programs and institutions focused on the production of red pitahaya and they produce it all the time. They have production all the time, they have consumption and production of red pitahaya, that is why the yellow pitahaya has an opportunity in Asia, but the red very little. There are other countries in Asia that also produce the red pitahaya, but not the yellow one,” adds Vera.

Thus, the export of the yellow variety of pitahaya can be a great success for producers who have access to the Chinese market, for example:

“If Peru or Ecuador or another Latin American country has yellow pitahaya production and has access to the Chinese market, that is a blessing, because they consume a lot of pitahaya and this yellow one has a better chance than the red one,” says the expert.

“Hence, the main focus of all pitahaya producers has to be the United States, which is a very interesting market and is convenient for Latin American countries due to the convenient shipping price, in order to be competitive with other producers of this fruit. For this market, any variety that can be produced works”, he also comments on the North American market.

Europe is not an option, for now

On the other hand, regarding the European market, Juan Vera explains that it is not a very attractive destination, since the consumption of this fruit is not very common, except in some countries. This, added to the rigorous control of agricultural products from other regions, makes it a complicated market.

Pitahaya provides great benefits, so you should include it in your daily diet. (Photo: Pixabay)

“In the specific case of Europe, we do not consider it a potential consumer, mainly of the yellow and red pitahaya, because we have tried in countries such as France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy or Spain, which are countries that are interested in the fruit but they do not have greater consumption. Also the restriction table regarding the use of agrochemicals, it is quite complicated to enter the European market, for this reason it is not so attractive, mainly if the agronomic management is not done with a fairly clean plan, considering that European market that is so demanding in I count the traceability of agricultural products”.

Thus, we have a more complete overview of the international market for this nutritious product, one of the many that our region has to offer the world.