The global fresh produce sector is set to continue growing in both volume and value over the next five years, analysts have claimed.
By 2008, market analysts Datamonitor said the volume of fresh produce traded on international markets was likely to reach 1.34 billion tonnes, up 17.7 per cent on 2003, with average year-on-year growth of 3.3 per cent.
In value, the industry is forecast to be worth around US$604.84bn, up 18.3 per cent on 2003. Datamonitor said the average annual growth between now and 2008 would be around 3.4 per cent.
The report indicates that the larger food retatilers, Tesco, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Carrefour and Ahold, dominate the sector.
