The Cuban grapefruit crop is almost a complete wipe out following Hurricane Dennis three weeks ago. Only 20 per cent of the crop was left on the trees and that is unlikely to be of good enough quality to market to UK supermarkets.
Importers are now looking at alternative sources to fill the gap by making the South African season stretch as far possible, a spokesman for Hart & Friedmann, the leading UK importer from the Caribbean island told the Journal. But South African drought problems have meant that fruit size has come up small this year and the southern hemisphere source is unlikely to be able to bridge the gap completely.
Mexico and Honduras will likely step into the breach this season with increased sendings to the UK as they recover from a hurricane-struck season last year with no reports of crop damage. Florida has not suffered any ill effects from storms yet this season either following the devastation brought by four hurricanes last summer and autumn. But the Sunshine State not forecast to start early enough to fill the crucial September gap that will be left by Cuba's exit.
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