Article amended on 12 March 2012.
Bankrupt Russian banana importer Joint Fruit Company (JFC) will “be back on the market” after taking time out to “recover” from its current financial difficulties, a source close to the group has claimed.
Speaking to Eurofruit Magazine, Dmitry Gerasimov, lead import manager from J Fresh, an importer established by former JFC managers in 2011, claimed that the company would not stop supplying bananas to the Russian market,despite filing for bankruptcy.
He said: “In the US, they have a procedure for restructuring of debts and JFC is acting in that sense – they are trying to get some time to talk to their creditors and the bank.”
Gerasimov said there were a number of different factors, including the loss of a Southern Mediterranean supplier, which had led to the current problems, but he claimed that JFC’s predicament could not be compared to that of Sunway and Sorus, the two Russian importers that went bankrupt in 2009.
“I think JFC should be back, but I think they need to take a deep breath before they can return,” he added. “They just need some time to recover before they will be back on the market.”
