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Sale of fruits soars with rising mercury

DUBAI - With the onset of summer and the soaring mercury, the sale of fruits of all kinds in general and citrus fruits in particular has begun to increase considerably in the UAE.

As the country is well connected by road, air and sea to most of the world's fruit-producing countries, the markets here offer a mind boggling variety of fruits.

Despite a wide variety of seasonal and unseasonal fruits available round the year, customers are now reaching out for fruits that are more suitable for the hot summer months - watermelons, lychees, mangoes, peaches, plums and a large variety of citrus fruits.

According to a fruit trade specialist who has worked in the country in that capacity with a chain of supermarkets for over a decade and a half, the UAE is probably one of the very few countries in the world which can boast of availability of all kinds of fruits throughout the year - irrespective of the season.

Explaining the perpetual supply of fruits to the UAE's fruit market from regional and other countries, he cited the example of mangoes: "The best mangoes come from India, which has some 300 different varieties to offer. But the mango crop comes only in summer there. No sooner the mango season ends in India, then it begins in Pakistan, which also has good varieties. With the end of mango season in Pakistan, the supply comes in from South Korea, followed by Australia and South Africa," he said.

The specialist said that citrus fruits are cheaper than many types of other fruits and since they have a nutritional value specific to summer, they sell more than any other fruit.

According to him, some 40 to 50 kinds of plums, 25 varieties of peaches and several types of apricots, nectarines, cherries and other such fruits are available in the UAE markets.

He said other varieties of citrus fruits such as mandarines, clementines, minniolas, tangerines, grapefruit, pomelos, lime and oranges are also very popular with the customers here.

He said that American and Iranian cherries and a large variety of fruits from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Oman and Turkey keep the local fruit markets full of choices, taste and cost wise.

Shree Kala, supervisor, fruit and vegetable section, Carrefour Hypermarket, Deira, said that though all kinds of fruits from all over the world were available in the UAE during the summer season, watermelons take the top spot in the hot season.

She said that watermelons from Oman and Iran are available throughout the season at Dh1 or even less per kilo. During special promotions, all kinds of melons, including rock melons, honey dew and honey melon from Egypt and Oman are available at very low prices, she added.

Another eagerly awaited popular summer fruit is the 'king' of all fruits: the mango. Mangoes are imported from both Pakistan and India. "Alphonso - a delectable variety of mango from India - is among the favourites of many shoppers," said Shree Kala, adding Thai lychees and South African grapes are also popular.

Most of the fruits and vegetables are brought to Mina Hamriya either by ships or launches throughout the year. "Most of the perishable items, especially fruits, arrive at the port from Iran because it is the nearest seaport to the UAE," said an official from the Hamriya Customs and Ports Department.

"All kinds of fruits are available throughout the year in the UAE, but in summer, watermelons, sweet melons, pears and sometimes apples also arrive from Iran," he said, adding that in the past few years perishable items have been arriving by air.

Saman Shezad, a housewife, prefers to eat all kinds of fruits, but during the season of their natural availability. "I wait for June, July and August beacuse I can eat my favourite fruit - mango," she says.