Original article

1 Cent. Techn. Hortic.Tamatave (CTHT), Tamatave,Madagascar, ctht@moov.mg

2 CIRAD, Persyst,UPR Hortsys, TA B-103 / PS4,Blvd. de la Lironde, 34398Montpellier Cedex 05, France

3 CIRAD, ES, UMR Innovation,Ampandrianomby, BP 853,99 Antananarivo, Madagascar

Experience from fifteen years of Malagasy lychee export campaignsMichel JAHIEL1,2*, Christophe ANDREAS1, Eric PENOT3

* Correspondence and reprints

Received 26 June 2013Accepted 4 September 2013

Fruits, 2014, vol. 69, p. 1–18© 2014 Cirad/EDP SciencesAll rights reservedDOI: 10.1051/fruits/2013098www.fruits-journal.org

RESUMEN ESPAÑOL, p. 18

Experience from fifteen years of Malagasy lychee export campaigns.Abstract – Lychee on the European markets. With approximately 2.8 Mt of annual global production,lychee constitutes a minor fruit in terms of production. The world production is mainly located in the northernhemisphere (95%). However, most of the quantity exported to the EU comes from the southern hemisphere.In this context, with its 100,000 t of annual production, Madagascar is ranked fourth in the producing worldand first in the southern hemisphere producing countries. This rank is due to the fact that supplies in theEU are seasonal and mainly concentrated during the end of the year holiday season. This market can onlybe supplied in quantity by the Malagasy lychee because of its earlier date of harvest in the Indian Ocean.The lychee industry in Madagascar. Lychee cultivation in Madagascar dates from the early twentiethcentury. It is primarily grown in wet tropical lowlands of the island with some production in areas with asubtropical climate with dry and cool winters. The stand is not structured into orchards. Therefore, the volumescurrently exported are based on a stand established by a multitude of small producers. The characteristicsof Malagasy lychee export and the consequences of the production context on export are analyzed. Changesin European legislation on lychee importation. The regulatory changes since 1987 and the commercialdevelopments since 1994 are reviewed by analyzing the resulting effects on the Malagasy lychee exports.Learning experience from fifteen years of Malagasy lychee export campaigns. Data on Malagasylychee export campaigns from 1996 to 2012 and the history of the changes in volumes exported allow a closeanalysis of the factors affecting the Malagasy lychee industry. Success factors of the Malagasy lycheeexports. These factors are related to securing market position and to the components of a marketing campaign(supply date to the European market, exported volumes and competition from produce from other countries).Conclusions. Lychees from Madagascar, although marketed for a very brief period, currently occupy the firstrank on the European markets and have managed, through the development of transport logistics using verylarge-capacity cargoes, to eliminate all competition. However, this sector is mainly structured downstreamand its production, which comprises a network of 30,000 small producers, has been neglected. This lack ofintervention (boosting of production, improving crop management, etc.) upstream of the chain does notsupport sustaining the industry in the medium term.

Madagascar / Litchi chinensis / production data / production structure / exports /modes of transport / regulations / quality control

Expérience de quinze années de campagnes d’exportation du litchi malgache.Résumé – Le litchi sur les marchés européens. Avec une production annuelle mondiale de 2,8 Mt, le litchiest classé comme un fruit mineur. La production mondiale se situe principalement dans l’hémisphère nord(95 %). Cependant, la plupart des quantités exportées vers l’UE provient de l’hémisphère sud. Dans cecontexte, avec ses 100.000 t de production annuelle, Madagascar est classé quatrième producteur mondialet premier producteur dans l’hémisphère sud. Ce rang est dû au fait que les approvisionnements en litchisde l’UE sont saisonniers et principalement concentrés au moment des fêtes de fin d’année. Ce marché ne peutêtre fourni en quantité que par les litchis malgaches en raison de la date de sa récolte dans l’Océan Indien.La production du litchi à Madagascar. La culture de litchi à Madagascar remonte au début du XXe siècle.Il est principalement cultivé dans les basses terres tropicales humides de l’île avec une certaine productiondans les zones de climat subtropical à hiver sec et frais. Les zones de production ne sont pas structurées envergers. Par conséquent, les volumes actuellement exportés sont basés sur une production alimentée par unemultitude de petits producteurs. Les caractéristiques de l’exportation du litchi malgache et les conséquencesdu contexte de production sur son exportation sont analysées. Changements de la législation euro-péenne concernant l'importation de litchi. Les modifications réglementaires de l’UE depuis 1987 et lesdéveloppements commerciaux depuis 1994 sont présentés en analysant leurs effets sur l’exportation du litchimalgache. Enseignement de quinze années de campagnes d'exportation du litchi malgache. Les don-nées sur les campagnes d’exportation malgaches du litchi de 1996 à 2012 et l’évolution des volumes exportéspendant ces années permettent une analyse approfondie des facteurs affectant la filière du litchi malgache.Facteurs de réussite de l'exportation du litchi malgache. Ces facteurs sont en relation avec la sécurisa-tion du marché et les caractéristiques d’une campagne de vente (date de l’offre sur le marché européen,volumes exportés et concurrence des produits provenant d’autres pays). Conclusions. Les litchis deMadagascar, bien que commercialisés pendant une période très brève, occupent actuellement le premier rangsur les marchés européens ; grâce au développement d’une logistique de transport utilisant des cargos detrès grande capacité, ils ont réussi à éliminer toute concurrence. Cependant, ce secteur est structuré princi-palement en aval et les conditions de sa production, qui dépend d’un réseau de 30.000 petits producteurs,ont été négligées. Ce manque d’intervention (renforcement de la production, amélioration de la gestion descultures, etc.) en amont de la chaîne n’aide pas à soutenir la filière à moyen terme.

Madagascar / Litchi chinensis / donnée de production / structure de production /exportation / modes de transport / réglementation / contrôle de qualité

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1. Introduction

Distributors of tropical fruit widely consu-med on the European markets are lookingto secure their supplies by diversifyingsources either by promoting and supportingthe development of existing channels orthrough the establishment of subsidiaries ingeographically well-positioned and politi-cally stable countries. Thanks to this policythe relevant product markets are morestable and these products have entered thecategory of current consumption withoutstrong business seasonality. As regards theproducts of tropical or inter-tropical zones,the security of supply to European marketsof products (bananas or pineapples, forexample) would not have been possiblewithout the following improvements:

– maritime transport (duration, frequency,port logistics),

– storage conditions of the products (newconservation techniques),

– cultivation techniques and improvedvarieties (mastery of flowering, time of har-vest, etc.),

– the establishment of unit industrial pro-duction to secure supplies.

However, because the seasonality oftropical fruits is too great or because theyrequire savvy or very specific consumers(ethnic markets) or because their cost is toohigh and fluctuating (granadilla, lychees,starfruits, etc.), the volumes traded are low;the market shares are rarely secure becausethese products are not a necessity in the eyesof consumers and their withdrawal fromcommercial networks would be without sig-nificant economic consequences.

Given this situation, marginal or nicheproducts have not benefited from the samedevelopment as products in high demand.These remain most often concentrated innetworks of organized or unorganized smallproducers and are often disconnected frommarket expectations (lychees and mangos,for instance). However, these horticulturalcrops, when they are produced by smallfarmers, guarantee significant cash incomeand employment. In fact, the monetizationof rural economies remains a prerequisitefor both the access of the population to basic

social services (health and education) andthe establishment of business trends. There-fore, the lack of security in the horticulturalindustries is a threat to the food security ofthese populations.

Furthermore, the sustainability of thesehorticultural sectors is affected by a numberof constraints that are related to the marketaccess targeted. These are constraints,whether controllable or not by the farmersconcerned (exporters, collectors, etc.),which will have to be quickly taken intoconsideration by the farmers, with the actorsof the sector, in order to ensure continuedsupply of foreign markets and secure theirincome. These are linked with:

– The tightening of food regulations inimporting countries with a stronger controlof products and the implementation of newguidelines that aim at protecting the con-sumer (business type certifications: ASTA,GlobalGAP (e.g., EurepGAP ), IFS, BRC, forinstance, and EC 178/2002 regulations 882/2004 and 852/2004, etc.);

– More strict quality requirements by im-porters with the implementation of internalcontrols to ensure compliance with businessand regulatory quality standards imposedby the importing country;

– Strengthening of the competition in otherproducing countries through the improve-ment of their product competitiveness com-pared with those of another origin, by low-ering production costs and increasingproductivity;

– Varying annual production and harvestperiod (markedly alternating or delayedharvesting period) in relation to climatechange observed in recent years (drop inrainfall or hurricane risk).

The Malagasy lychee industry is facingthese constraints and, given the type ofactors involved in its operation, it constitutesa particularly interesting study design.

Therefore, based on 15 years of lycheedata collection in Madagascar and in theEuropean markets, the objective of our arti-cle was to analyze the strategies imple-mented by Malagasy lychee industry oper-ators in order to secure it, and to highlighttheir potential weaknesses.

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2. The lychee on the Europeanmarkets

With approximately 2.8 Mt of annual globalproduction, lychee appears to be a minorfruit in terms of production compared withother tropical fruits. This production is veryheterogeneous among the 16 major produc-ing countries with the net dominance ofChina, which comprises nearly 70% of theworld production (table I) [1, 2]. The distri-bution between the northern hemisphereand the southern hemisphere is totallyunbalanced, with 95% of world productionby the north. In this context, with 100,000 tof annual production, Madagascar is rankedfourth among the producing countries andranked first in the southern hemisphere pro-ducing countries.

Regarding exports, the situation is totallydifferent and totally disconnected from theproduction because the majority of the ex-ported volumes to European countries comefrom the southern hemisphere (table II).

By the annually marketed volumes(about 25,000 t), lychee is secondary on theEuropean markets compared with banana,pineapple or mango, for example (table III).

The supply of lychees to European mar-kets is seasonal and is linked to harvestingperiods spread only over a short period oftime between production areas in thenorthern hemisphere and the southernhemisphere (table IV) [3]. Given this sea-sonality, supply to the markets is notspread throughout the year and the mainsupply is, on the one hand, the export fromthe Indian Ocean area at the end of the yearand, on the other, a more diverse supplyfrom the northern hemisphere from April toSeptember. The main producing countriesin the Indian Ocean are Madagascar, SouthAfrica, Mauritius and Réunion. Exportsfrom Mexico, Australia, China, Vietnam andIndia are still very limited [4]. Widely vary-ing production costs and modes of trans-port (table V) from exporting countries todestination countries explain the variationsin market prices throughout the year.

Table I.Global production distribution of lychees [1, 2].

Country Production (t)

Northern hemisphere (95%)

China 1,910,800

India 425,000

Vietnam 156,000

Taiwan 80,000

Thailand 43,000

Nepal 14,000

Bangladesh 13,000

Pakistan 3,000

Mexico 4,000

Israel 1,200

USA 600

Southern hemisphere (5%)

Madagascar 100,000

South Africa 7,000

Australia 6,000

Réunion 10,000

Mauritius 3,500

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3. The lychee industryin Madagascar

3.1. The Malagasy lychee cultivation

Lychee, of the Sapindaceae family, is nativeto China. It was introduced to Réunion in1764 by Joseph-François Charpentier deCossigny de Palma. From there, it was thenplanted inMadagascar byA.Michaux in 1802in the context of creating acclimatization

gardens for fruit species [5]. The develop-ment of this culture was late and is linkedwith the arrival of Asian and Creole settlerson the east coast of Madagascar in 1940–1950.

This culture has developed mainly in wettropical lowlands of the island with someintroductions in areas with a subtropical cli-mate with cool and dry winters (figure 1).Therefore, the phenology of the tree variesgreatly from one area to another and the

Table II.Volumes and main origins of lychees annually imported by Europe. Averagecalculated over 10 years (2000 to 2010).

Origins of importations Volumes of importations (t)

Southern hemisphere

Madagascar 19 315

South Africa 3 590

Mauritius 182

Réunion 187

Total importations 23 087

Northern hemisphere

Thailand 1 816

Israel 733

China 191

India 409

Spain 907

Total importations 4 056

Source: Eurostat (from 2000 to 2010).

Table III.Tropical fruit importations on the European markets (t) in 2010 and 2011.

Tropical fruits 2010 2011

Papaya 9,000 10,000

Lychee, passion fruit, pitaya, etc. 28,300 29,700

Mango, guava, mangosteen 147,500 145,480

Avocado 183,800 171,700

Pineapple 457,600 468,300

Lemon 574,700 595,100

Orange 1,974,700 1,923,800

Banana 2,232,000 2,222,000

Source: Eurostat (2010 et 2011).

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spread of the flowering and the harvestingdepend on the latitude and altitude of theplantation.

The stand is not structured into orchards.Only a few plantations, established in the

years 1940 to 1950 by the settlers, have beenidentified [6].

The trees in rural areas come mostly fromlayers and are planted near villages or in thefamily fields. Despite the existence of recent

Table IV.Production calendar of main lychee producing countries [3].

Producing country Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct N

North hemisphere

China

India

Taiwan

Thailand

Vietnam

Nepal

Bangladesh

USA

Mexico

Israel

Spain

South hemisphere

Réunion

Mauritius

Madagascar

South-Africa

Australia

Table V.Lychee transportation for European market supply.

Exporting country Supplying by air S

North hemisphere

China Yes

Thailand Yes

Mexico Yes

Israel No

Spain No

South hemisphere

Madagascar Yes

South Africa Yes

Mauritius Yes

Réunion Yes

Australia Yes

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upplying by sea

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

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plantations, the current production comesfrom fruit harvested from old trees whosesize is, for some, regulated by the regularhurricanes on the east coast.

On a cultivar basis, it is difficult to statethat Madagascar has clearly identified vari-eties. There are predominant phenotypiccharacters in the population, which leads tothe conclusion that there is a dominant vari-ety (Kwai Mee) [7]. However, given theidentification of trees that are early or late,producing fruit with smooth shells, withparthenocarpic fruits, etc., it is easy to sur-mise that uncontrolled introductions alsooccurred.

Throughout the colonial period (1889–1960), production grew throughout the eastcoast without considering any prospect ofcommercial exploitation of the resource.Therefore, the dynamics of planting couldbe based on a wish for diversification and /or reproduction of the environment thatwas created by the settlers before.

Therefore, in the absence of substantialplanting programs undertaken after thecolonial time, the volumes currentlyexported are only based on the use of astand set up by a multitude of small produc-ers who are disconnected from the externalmarket expectations.

3.2. The major production areasof Malagasy lychee

Although lychees can be found along theentire east coast of Madagascar, there arethree main producing areas where there isan effective mobilization during the exportcampaign: Tamatave, Manakara and Fort-Dauphin (figure 1, table VI).

3.2.1. Tamatave

Two lychee production areas that are cate-gorized by altitude are identified in the Tam-atave region.

Figure 1.Lychee production arealocation in Madagascar.

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A low-lying coastal area ranging fromSoanierana Ivongo, north of Tamatave, toMahanoro, south of Tamatave, represents astrip of production area of 300 km in lengthby 30 km wide giving around a 9,000-km2

production area; Tamatave is located at thecenter of that strip. The inland area is pen-etrated by some secondary roads and anextensive network of rivers. In this area, thelychee stand consists of isolated lychee treesand small plantations (100 to 300 trees); thetrees being exploited are often old treeslocated on poor soils. In this area, produc-tion potential varies depending on the yearbecause lychee follows a cycle of alternatinghigh and low production, and it is between30,000 t and 40,000 t.

An upland area is located north ofTamatave and corresponds to the region ofVavatenina. The asphalt and dirt roads thatpenetrate this area are few and not suitablefor vehicles; therefore, handling and trans-port of products remain difficult. Thisregion is mainly mobilized only towardsthe late end of the collecting campaign(early December) for export by container.The lychee stand of that area is less abun-dant than that of the coastal area and con-sists mainly of isolated stocks and smallgroups of trees. Its production potential isbetween 3,000 t and 5,000 t.

The potential of this region lies in itsproximity to the port of Tamatave and is theone most mobilized for export (96%).

3.2.2. Manakara

In the Manakara region, there are two mainproduction areas, one located north of thecity of Manakara and another south.

In the northern area, which extends upto Mananjary, production is later than thatof the southern area. Lychees are easilyaccessible because they are located near oralong practicable roads. Moreover, the pop-ulation of lychee trees is partly structured insmall stands and into orchards, and accessto the product is facilitated.

Production potential is significant giventhe size of the area and the age of the trees.This is estimated to be between 5,000 t and10,000 t depending on the year.

Given the absence of a deep-water portin the region, lychees in this region are cur-rently collected mainly for export by planefrom Antananarivo or they are transportedby road and then by boat upon their arrivalat the port Tamatave. The rest of the volumeis either consumed within the area or des-tined for the local markets.

The production potential mobilized forexport from this area currently accounts foronly 4% at most of the total volume ofexported Malagasy lychees.

3.2.3. Fort-Dauphin

In the Fort-Dauphin region, there are twomajor lychee production areas, an early pro-duction area and a late production area. Thisis mainly due to agroclimatic differenceswhich characterize these areas since the cul-tivars planted are the same.

The early production area is located westof the city of Fort-Dauphin, in the region ofSoanierana. In a normal year, the productionpotential is estimated at 150 t of exportableproducts. Lychees are easily accessible asthey are located along main or secondaryroads. Moreover, trees are often grown in

Table VI.Periods of lychee production according to the Malagasy production area.

Lychee production area of Madagascar October November December

Diégo-Suarez

* Tamatave

* Manakara

* Fort-Dauphin

« Hauts-plateaux »

* Areas of production where fruits are harvested for export to Europe (source: CTHT, www.ctht.org).

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small clusters. The late production area islocated north of the city of Fort-Dauphin inthe region of Nahampona and Ranomafana.Production potential is higher than in theregion of Soanierana; it is estimated at1,000 t a year. In that area, lychees are noteasily accessible because the secondaryroads are not practicable and some standsare in very remote areas. This stand is, atpresent, not used in export transactionsdespite the existence of a deep-water port.

Given the small volumes available, onlylychees in the early production area areexploited for export by air. The rest of thevolumes produced are either consumedlocally or go to local markets.

The production potential mobilized forexports is less than 0.2% of the volume ofMalagasy lychees exported.

3.3. Characteristics of the Malagasylychee exports

The first exports of Malagasy lychees beganin 1960 [8, 9]. Lychees initially wereexported fresh by air; their marketed quan-tities were low at that time and this fruitappeared on the European markets as a lux-ury reserved for certain customers of Asianorigin.

Despite the limited quantities exported,lychee was rapidly integrated into the farm-ing systems of the east coast of the countrysince the fruit was available from Fort-Dauphin in the south to Antsiranana(Diégo-Suarez) in the north.

The authorization granted by the Euro-pean Union in 1987 to import lycheestreated with sulfur dioxide has dramaticallychanged the stakes in this sector. This post-harvest treatment, which ensures lycheepreservation for more than 4 weeks [10, 11],allows shipments of fruits by sea and thushas greatly reduced the price of lycheeimported by Europe [12].

In a few years, Madagascar has becomethe leading lychee exporting country thanksto this change in the means of shipment,which allowed a better marketing of the fruit[13]. In order to meet this growing demand,the number of operators has increased from

5 to more than 30 and the collection areahas been considerably extended. However,to deal with the tightening of regulations inEurope, the growing demands of consumersand the emergence of new exporting coun-tries, the Malagasy lychee industry has grad-ually become more structured aroundobjectives that aim to improve the quality oflychee exported and to ensure compliancewith the maximum residual sulfur contentallowed upon arrival in Europe.

Currently, over 96% of lychees producedin Madagascar are exported to Europe, theremaining 4% being mainly exported toDubai and Mayotte. Other potentially prom-ising markets (USA, Canada, India, China,Japan, etc.) are inaccessible either becauseof the transit times, or because their regula-tions do not allow the importation of lycheetreated with sulfur dioxide.

3.4. Implications of the contextof the Malagasy lychee productionexport

Although domestic production is estimatedat 100,000 t, it is the production in theTamatave region which is mainly mobilizedfor export by sea and air. However, thelychee export is not annually secure andthere is no guarantee that markets can beeffectively supplied due to a number of ele-ments that characterize the production inthis region:

– This production is distributed between20,000 and 30,000 small producers locatedthroughout the region.

– The lychee being a product of collection(rather than production), production costsare very low: the labor is mainly from withinthe family and external labor is very cheap(around US$ 1 per day); no agriculturalinput is used. The area is subject to signifi-cant climate risk characterized by a long hur-ricane season (from January to May), andgiven the fragility of the lychee branches,strong winds strongly affect production.

– The annual climate changes (tempera-tures and rainfall) in this region disrupt thephenology of the tree and modify theblooming period, and thus the fruit harvest.

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This has led the actors (importers andexporters) of the lychee industry to makecertain decisions:

• To maintain the current boom in theMalagasy lychee production in order tokeep production costs low at export and tolimit the effects of climate risks on the pro-duction by diversifying the productionareas.

• To support the establishment of amechanism which allows fruiting monitor-ing and the setting up of an opening datefor the fruit collecting campaign [14].

• To establish a collection network com-patible with this boom in production(2,000 collectors mobilized annually).

• To find a way of shipping by sea thatis fast enough to deal with possible hazardsrelated to the production (harvest date).

4. Changes in Europeanlegislation for lycheeimportation

4.1. Regulatory changes

Since 1987, the “lychee” sector is subject tovarious regulations that require the actors toregularly implement actions to meet them.These major changes are presented below.

– 1987: authorization granted by Franceand the European Union to import lycheestreated with sulfur dioxide by setting theMRL (Maximum Residue Limit) of sulfur toless than 10 mg·kg–1 in the pulp and lessthan 250 mg·kg–1 in the pericarp. In fact,sulfur is present as SO2 in lychee followingits fumigation by burning flowers of sulfur;the maximum level is set by regulation onadditives (Directive 95/2/EC of 20-02-1995 for additives other than colors andsweeteners).

– January 2005: implementation of the ECRegulation No 178/2002 on food safety. Thisregulation ensures the quality of foodstuffsintended for human consumption and ani-mal feed. This ensures the free movementof safe and healthy food in the domesticmarket. Operators apply food laws at all

stages of the food chain in the production,processing, transport, distribution and sup-ply of food. Similarly, operators are incharge of ensuring product traceability at allstages of production, processing and distri-bution.

– March 2005: implementation of the ISPMN°15 (International Standards for Phytosan-itary Measures) Directive for the regulationof wood-based packaging materials in inter-national trade. This standard describes phy-tosanitary measures to reduce the risk of in-troduction and / or spread of quarantinepests associated with coniferous and non-coniferous raw wood packaging material(including dunnage) used in trade. Malagasylychees being exported on pine wood pal-lets, this regulation applies to the sector.

– January 2006: implementation of the ECRegulation N° 852/2004 on foodstuffhygiene. This regulation aims at ensuringthe hygiene of foodstuffs at all stages of theproduction process, from primary produc-tion to the final consumer. All food busi-ness operators will ensure that all stepswhich they are in charge of, from primaryproduction to sale or provision of food tothe final consumer, are carried out in ahygienic manner, in line with the provi-sions of the regulation.

– January 2006: implementation of the ECRegulation No 882/2004 on the national sys-tems of sanitary controls. This regulationaims at filling gaps in the existing legislationon official food control through a harmo-nized EU approach to the design and imple-mentation of national control systems. Offi-cial controls are defined as “any form ofcontrol by the competent authority to verifycompliance with the legislation on food-stuffs. State members will designate theauthorities which are competent to carry outofficial controls”.

4.2. Commercial developments

Some trends and commercial requirementshave significantly changed the functioningand organization of the lychee sector:

– 1994: mobilization of conventional vesselsfor transport to Europe. These refrigeratedships have a high cargo capacity (between

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2,000 t and 6,000 t) and a high cruise speed(21 knots at maximum) which allows themto reach Europe faster than container ships.When the production period allowed, thistime saving allowed the Malagasy lychees toarrive in Europe before December 24.

– 2006: EurepGAP (renamed “GlobalGAP”in 2007), a private collective standard for thecertification of the production process. Thisstandard was established in 1997 by theEuropean food retailers as a response to theconcerns of European consumers followingseveral outbreaks [15]. In order to ensure thesafety of exported food products, producersmust be certified either individually(option 1) or as a group (option 2). Qualitymanagement systems should be developedto ensure the safe use of pesticides and com-pliance with hygiene and handling stand-ards. Finally, exporters must be able to traceback a given production from the specificoperating production in which it wasobtained, to ensure that the product com-plies with the standard.

– 2009: strengthening of the control ofsupermarkets (mainly German) of sulfurresidues before the marketing of lychees.This reaction is due to exceeding residuesduring control checks in 2008. However,because of recurring exceeding residues,major German retailers chose not to marketMalagasy lychee during the 2010–2011 sea-son, to reassure their customers and ensurerespect for their commercial commitments.

5. Learning experiencefrom fifteen years of Malagasylychee export campaigns

5.1. Justification of the monitoring

The share of lychee in the farmers’ economyof the east coast of Madagascar is an impor-tant and necessary income for the house-holds concerned. The European Union hassupported the development of this sectorfrom 1996, entrusting the CTHT (Techn.Hortic. Cent. Tamatave, Madagascar) withthe responsibility of carrying out actions at

all stages of the value chain (from produc-tion to export). In this context, several pro-visions for monitoring and study have beenimplemented annually in Madagascar (be-fore and during the lychee collection cam-paign) and in Europe (during the marketingcampaign). The objective of these actionswas to provide key actors in the sector withinformation that will improve its competi-tiveness and support its effort to becomestructured.

5.2. General features of the lycheeexport campaigns from 1996 to 2012

Analysis of Malagasy lychee campaignsfrom 1996 to 2012 indicates that the courseof these campaigns has been systematicallydifferent from one year to another regardingthe start date for the collection, the volumesexported, the planning of the productionarrival in Europe, etc. (tables VI and VII).

Given the factors that cannot be control-led (mainly climatic and physiological) thatinfluence the harvest date, exporters are notable to plan ahead with certainty either thecourse of a campaign or its eventual com-mercial success. Any success of a campaignis therefore based on the adaptive capacityof the actors to rapidly and effectivelyrespond to the specific conditions of eachcampaign.

Qualitatively, the average diameters oflychees from Madagascar have varieddepending on the campaign from (29 to31.6) mm (table VIII). This lack of consist-ency has not been linked to the overall rain-fall but more to the distribution of rainfalland to the length of dry periods without rainprior to harvest, as producers do not carryout any care or watering of the treesthroughout the year.

During the storage period, the productundergoes desiccation of between 12% and14% [16], and thus up to 1 mm diameterreduction. Therefore, the diameter oflychees marketed rarely exceeds 30 mm.This puts the Malagasy lychee in a qualitygrade category significantly lower than thatof its competing origins such as SouthAfrica. This positioning of the product at alow price and perishability led European

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eive

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ities

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nd

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tere

d

1996

11,3

289,

530

8,88

09,

176

152

Cam

pai

gnop

enin

gd

ate

not

wel

ldef

ined

,ve

ryp

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frui

tq

ualit

y

1997

8,50

04,

013

4,01

36,

500

2,00

0–

1998

12,5

005,

737

5,70

09,

200

3,30

0–

1999

16,5

009,

258

7,53

29,

360

7,14

0A

bse

nce

ofp

lann

ing

ofth

esh

ips

arriv

als

2000

17,6

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10,5

6611

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6,50

0A

bse

nce

ofp

lann

ing

ofth

esh

ips

arriv

al

2001

18,7

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11,2

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7,55

0E

arly

arriv

alof

lych

ees

inth

em

arke

rs,

det

erio

ratio

nsup

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rival

2002

14,7

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8,75

013

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1,03

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rod

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nd

efic

it,m

any

det

erio

ratio

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2003

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4,64

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the

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2004

19,9

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14,9

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from

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2005

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6,34

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det

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ratio

nsat

arriv

al

2006

20,6

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ery

late

cam

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pre

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2007

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4,43

0A

bse

nce

ofp

lann

ing

ofar

rival

s,ex

ceed

ing

offe

r

2008

23,4

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16,7

0021

,850

1,60

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eter

iora

tion

atar

rival

on1

ship

2009

19,7

5012

,150

10,9

4012

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7,60

0In

tens

ifica

tion

ofco

ntro

lsan

dfir

stal

ert

rega

rdin

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2010

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ting

susp

end

edin

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man

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witz

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s)

2011

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nd

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it

2012

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pac

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w.c

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org

) 11

M. Jahiel et al.

1999

28–N

ov14

–Dec

267

63

1.70

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01.

50–1

.60

0.80

–1.0

0

2000

25–N

ov10

–Dec

345

530

.43

1.50

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01.

10–1

.40

0.90

–1.1

0

2001

21–N

ov06

–Dec

202

429

.43

2.00

–210

1.50

–1.7

01.

00–1

.50

2002

21–N

ov14

–Dec

427

630

.72

2.30

–2.5

01.

90–2

.20

0.50

–1.3

0

2003

29–N

ov15

–Dec

199

629

.12

1.20

–1.8

00.

80–0

.50

0.50

–0.7

0

2004

11–N

ov27

–Nov

429

630

.13

1.40

–1.8

01.

30–1

.50

1.20

–1.6

0

2005

25–N

ov08

–Dec

471

42

1.60

–1.8

00.

50–1

.00

0.80

–0.9

0

2006

04–D

ec19

–Dec

541

430

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1.80

–2.2

51.

50–1

.70

1.00

–1.3

0

2007

23–N

ov09

–Dec

386

531

.62

1.25

–1.8

01.

00–1

.40

1.20

–1.3

0

2008

14–N

ov02

–Dec

370

231

.11

2.00

–2.5

00.

90–1

.20

0.50

–0.8

0

2009

27–N

ov14

–Dec

379

229

.31

2.20

–2.4

01.

70–1

.90

0.50

–0.8

0

2010

26–N

ov17

–Dec

200

228

.71

1.90

–2.2

01.

00–1

.50

0.30

–0.6

0

2011

25–N

ov17

–Dec

341

229

122.

40–2

.50

2.20

–2.4

01.

40–1

.50

2012

17–N

ov11

–Dec

402

229

.712

2.50

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02.

00–2

.10

1.50

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0

sour

ce:C

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ww

w.c

tht.

org

1av

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eva

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ined

from

1,00

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per

year

(20

frui

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ling)

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asi

ngle

grou

por

gani

zatio

nco

nstit

uted

with

two

stru

ctur

esof

imp

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tions

.

Tab

leV

III.

Info

rmat

ion

rega

rdin

gth

em

ain

char

acte

ristic

sof

Mal

agas

yly

chee

exp

ort

cam

pai

gns.

Cam

pai

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nd

ate

Dat

eof

arriv

al1s

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ipE

U

Rai

nfal

lS

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-Nov

.(m

m)

Num

ber

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ips

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rage

dia

met

erat

dep

artu

re(m

m)1

Gro

upor

gani

satio

nIm

por

t(E

U)

Pric

eat

imp

orts

tage

cam

pai

gnon

set

ship

(€)

Pric

eim

por

tst

age

on12

/31

(€)

Pric

eim

por

tsta

geen

dof

cam

pai

gn(€

)

1996

18-N

ov08

-Dec

62

1.50

–2.0

01.

10–1

.40

0.50

–0.8

0

1997

25-N

ov14

-Dec

488

21

2.00

–2.1

01.

80–2

.00

1.20

–1.5

0

1998

27-N

ov14

-Dec

236

21

1.80

–2.3

01.

50–1

.60

0.90

–1.2

0

12 Fruits, vol. 69 (1)

Malagasy lychee export campaigns

importers to prefer supermarkets in order tosell large volumes transported by conven-tional boats (reefers) with a marketing strat-egy of associating this product with the endof the year holiday season targeting a con-sumer looking for a festive and inexpensiveproduct.

Regarding the collection periods, wefound that they strongly differed from oneyear to another, with differences of up to3 weeks between the earliest and the latestharvest [14]. This confirms that the lycheeflowering and fruiting are dependent on cli-matic factors, and more specifically on thetemperature [17, 18].

5.3. Changes in export volumes

Monitoring of the quantities exported sincethe beginning of the marketing of Malagasylychees on the foreign markets shows a bellcurve with a steady growth for 10 years witha peak in 2007, with 23,000 t of lycheeexported (figure 2), and then a rapid fall inthe quantities exported to Europe after thisdate.

Phases of growth in export volumes canbe linked with the modes of transportation

that were used during these campaigns.They are divided into three stages:

– 1972 to 1987: during this period, freshlychees were exported by air to France. Thefruit preservation periods being very short(3–4 days), exported volumes remainedlow.

– 1987 to 1994: during this period, lycheeswere exported by air and refrigerated con-tainer ships. This boat transport was madepossible thanks to the authorization grantedby France and the EU, for importing sulfurdioxide-treated lychees. Sulfur is currentlythe only postharvest treatment that canensure preservation of lychee for more than4 weeks. In addition, the decrease in thetransportation costs associated with a lowcost of production and postharvest opera-tions has allowed a considerable develop-ment of the export volumes.

– 1994 to 2012: during this period, lycheeswere exported by air, by container ships andrefrigerated cargo (conventional type). Re-frigerated transport vessels have reducedthe travel duration to Europe [(15 to17) days] and thus led Madagascar to putlarge amounts of fruit in the European mar-kets before Christmas. This opportunity hassignificantly changed the positioning of the

FCe

Fruits, vol. 69 (1

igure 2.hanges in Malagasy lycheexports to Europe.

) 13

14

M. Jahiel et al.

Malagasy lychee on the European market asit has gradually moved from a niche exotictype of product enjoyed by only certaintypes of communities to an appealing prod-uct for supermarket retailers which have as-sociated it with the end of the year festivities.

The curve analysis revealed a significantdrop in exported volumes after 2007 (fig-ure 2). This drop is linked with the imple-mentation of new regulatory and commer-cial provisions from 2006 (figure 2), mainlyin relation to the sanitary safety of the con-sumers (see 3.1.).

Sulfur treatment is regulated at the Euro-pean level by the Minimum Risk Levels(MRL) in the pulp set at 10 mg·kg–1; follow-ing the need to reassure consumers aboutrespect for the MRL and regulatory compli-ance, the residue checks before marketinghave been intensified and systematized,mainly by distributors based in Germany(Aldi and Lidl distributors, for example).From 2009, the controls were strengthenedgiven that the MRL was consistently ex-ceeded; in the German, Swiss and Austrianmarkets, the marketing of lychee was thensuspended, forcing importers to transfer thevolumes provided for these markets to othercountries where trade controls were less im-portant, and this caused a saturation of thelatter and a lowered price.

In order to regain the confidence of thesemarkets, and establish an action plan inMadagascar in order to reduce the risks of

fruit export not meeting the MRL and tosecure the industry, importers and exporterswere forced to lower export volumes. Thishas reduced the pace of work in the packingstations, which then have been able tostrengthen internal control procedures, thusthe fall in export volumes noticed after 2010(figure 2).

6. Success factorsof the Malagasy lychee exports

6.1. Securing the commercialpositioning

Analysis of Malagasy lychee export cam-paigns from 1996 to 2012 (figure 3) indi-cates that, in order to ensure market supplybefore Christmas, lychee importers favoredtransport with refrigerated conventionalvessels (reefers). This may have three expla-nations: i) this type of transport is the onlymeans of maritime transport which allowsa trip (Madagascar – Europe) in less than20 days, ii) transport costs are clearly lowerthan those of the refrigerated container ship,and iii) lychee treatment and handling wereconcentrated near the port of Tamatavewhere this type of vessel can be loaded.

Moreover, the amount of lychees carriedby these vessels has steadily increased overthe last ten years as it has increased from

Figure 3.Relationship between thequantities exported fromMadagascar by conventionalships and those received inEurope before Christmas.

Fruits, vol. 69 (1)

Malagasy lychee export campaigns

2,000 t to over 6,000 t per vessel (figure 4).This improvement allowed the lychee pro-duction:

– to withstand the increase in the shippingcost (due to the increase in fuel price),

– to completely get rid of any competitionbecause no country in the area of the IndianOcean has the sufficient production to usesuch vessels in a very short period of time(table I).

6.2. The current criteriafor a successful marketing campaign

Two criteria for a successful export cam-paign of the Malagasy lychee were studied:(i) the influence of ships' arrival date in

Europe and, consequently, the organizationof the fruit collection in Madagascar, and (ii)the volumes received after the end of theyear holidays (after January 1).

The analysis of the relationship betweenthe time of arrival of the first boats in Europeand the selling price of a kilogram of lycheeson the French market shows that, on the onehand, for the arrival of lychees beforeDecember10, the market does not guaranteesales prices superior to 2 €·kg–1 at the begin-ning of the campaign, and on the otherhand, the ideal time of arrival of the firstexported lychees by boat to the Europeanmarkets is between December 11 andDecember 16 (figure 5).

However, it turns out it is not possible toguarantee for sure the arrival of the boats

FAolta

FLaod

Fruits, vol. 69 (1

igure 4.verage changes in the sizesf cargoes used to transport

ychees from Madagascaro Europe between 1996nd 2012.

igure 5.ychee selling price levelt the Malagasy campaignnset according to the arrivalate of the first ship in Europe.

) 15

16

M. Jahiel et al.

before the Christmas festivities and the timeof arrival of conventional vessels variesannually for various reasons:

– The onset of flowering being influencedby climatic factors, lychee fruiting varieseach year. Thus, during the 16 years of ourstudy, a three-week duration was recordedfrom the earliest campaign season (Novem-ber 11) and the latest campaign (Decem-ber 4) in the region of Tamatave.

– Because of the insecurity in the vicinity ofthe Horn of Africa and the establishment ofsecurity measures aimed at reducing risks ofpiracy, importers thus prefer the southernroute via the Cape of Good Hope to reachEurope. Since 2010, this choice has led to alonger transit time between Madagascar andEurope of about (3 to 4) days (figure 6).

– Increased amounts of lychees transportedin conventional boats requires importers tomove towards northern European ports[Vlissingen (Holland), Zeebrugge (Belgium)]whichhave facilities for receiving, unloadingand storing this type of vessel. This optionslightly increases transit times.

Given these various elements, to ensurethe arrival of Madagascan lychees betweenthe 11th and the 16th of December, it is nec-essary that the first boat leaves Madagascarbetween the 21st and the 26th of November.

The analysis of the relationship betweenthe price at the import stage on the French

markets and the volumes received afterJanuary 1 (figure 7) indicates that: i) the sell-ing price increases when the volumereceived after January 1 decreases, and ii)once the volumes received exceed 2,000 t,prices fall significantly.

This situation confirms that the commer-cial position of the Malagasy lychee is nowlimited to the end of the year festivities inEurope. Sales early in the year are actuallyonly favored by the absence of significantvolumes from South Africa and the settingup of much more attractive prices for a con-noisseur customer.

Given the lack of new potential markets(the US does not allow the sale of lycheetreated with sulfur), it appears that theroom for maneuver in terms of developingMalagasy lychee exported volumes is verylimited.

7. Conclusions

Lychees from Madagascar, although soldfor a very short period of time, are currentlyranked first in the European markets (closeto 19,315 t a year). Unlike other sectors oftropical fruit production, this sector, com-prised of a network of small producers(30,000), has become structured by favor-ing its downstream stages: structures of

Figure 6.Duration in number of daysbetween lychee collectingonset in Madagascarand arrival of the first shipin Europe.

Fruits, vol. 69 (1)

Malagasy lychee export campaigns

postharvest treatment and packaging, load-ing and transport logistics, and a nichemarket.

This structure is linked with: i) the variousEU regulations applied to fresh importedproducts, which require the introduction oftechnical improvements, controls and com-pliance with hygiene regulations at the stageof fruit postharvest treatment and packagingat the handling site, ii) the need to put a largevolumes of lychees on the European mar-kets before Christmas with a price that gua-rantees their rapid sales.

However, the targeted markets (mainlyEurope), the type of transport used and thepositioning of the product in a niche busi-ness opportunity related to a specific calen-dar period (holiday season) require compli-ance with a particularly strict timetable forharvest as well as for the departure date ofthe boats. This calendar constraint does notallow considering that this sector is securebecause the harvest dates vary annually (weobserved differences between the early andlate years of up to 3 weeks) as the floweringand fruiting of lychee are mainly under thecontrol of climatic factors [19].

In addition, some factors are not in fa-vor of sustaining the industry in the mid-term. These are in particular the absence of

interventions (boosting of the production,improving crop management, etc.) up-stream of the industry. This lack of mobili-zation of the farmers in improving the pro-duction in order to develop arboriculturedoes not guarantee compliance with mini-mum quality criteria and a capitalization onthe early character of certain areas or trees.

Consequently, taking into account thatsulfur diffusion through the fruit pericarpduring the postharvest treatment of the fruitdepends on the quality of the fruit at harvest,we can consider that compliance with thesulfur MRL upon arrival in Europe cannot befully guaranteed [20].

References

[1] Anon., Dossier du mois : bilan de la cam-pagne litchi 2011-2012 : Madagascar, l’an-née de la décennie ?, FruiTrop 199 (2012)12–19.

[2] Houbin Chen, Xuming Huang, Overview oflitchi production in the world, with specific inChina, in: 4th Int. Symp. Lychee, Longan andother Sapindaceae Fruits, White River, SouthAfrica, 2012, ISHS, Acta Hortic. (in press).

[3] Anon., Dossier du mois : le litchi, FruiTrop211 (2013) 31–50.

FRtMias

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he lychee volumes fromadagascar received

n Europe after January 1nd the price at the importtage on the French market.

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18

M. Jahiel et al.

[4] Gerbaud P., Le litchi. Fruitrop 178 (2010)15–38.

[5] Montagnac P., Les cultures fruitières àMadagascar en 1960, Tome 1, Inst. Rech.Agron. Madagascar (IRAM), Tananarive,Madagascar, Doc. 9, 1960, 79–86.

[6] Jahiel M., Madagascar litchi: structuring isneeded to ensure sustainability, Fruitrop 50(1998) 8–10.

[7] Moreuil C., Quelques observations et essaissur le litchi, Fruits 28 (9) (1973) 637–640.

[8] Deullin R., Trupin F., Transport maritime deslitchis, Fruits 20 (7) (1965) 341–343.

[9] Trupin F., Bilan de deux campagnes d’expor-tation de litchis de Madagascar, Fruits 21 (9)(1966) 495–500.

[10] Swarts D.H., Sulphur content of fumigatedSouth African litchi fruit, Subtropica 6 (1985)18–20.

[11] Kruger F.J., Schoeman M.H., Roets N.J.R.,Mhlophe S.D., Postharvest procedures usedby the South African litchi export industry,Acta Hortic. (in press).

[12] Jahiel M., Abraham D.., The growth of Mala-gasy litchi field face to the hardening ofEuropean control in the matter of sulphuredresidue, Acta Hortic. 558 (2001) 63–71.

[13] Loeillet D., The future of the Madagascarlitchi industry in question, Fruitrop (15) (1995)5–6.

[14] Lechaudel M., Damour G., Fournier P., JoasJ., Jahiel M., How to predict the harvest dateof tropical fruit: from simple methods tocomplex models, Acta Hortic. 880 (2010)175–182.

[15] Subervie J., Vagneron I., A drop of water in theIndian Ocean? The impact of GlobalGap cer-tification on lychee farmers in Madagascar,World Dev. 50 (2013) 57–73.

[16] Sivakumar D., Korsten L., Influence of modi-fied atmosphere packaging and postharvesttreatments on quality retention of litchi cv.Mauritius, Postharvest Biol. Technol. 41(2006) 135–142.

[17] Groff W., Some ecological factors in success-ful lychee culture, Proc. Fla. State Hortic. Soc.56 (1944) 134–155.

[18] Young T.W., Harkness R.W., Flowering andfruiting behavior of Brewster lychees inFlorida, Proc. Fla. State Hortic. Soc. 74(1961) 358–363.

[19] Costes E., Analyse architecturale et modéli-sation du litchi, Univ. Sci. Techn. Languedoc,Thèse, Montpellier, France, 1988, 219 p.

[20] Schoeman M.H., Penter M., Kruger F.J.,Determination of maturity cut-off points forSouth African export litchi fruit, ARC-Inst.Trop. Subtrop. Crops, S. Afr. Litchi Grow.Assoc. Yearb. 16 (2004) 14–20.

Experiencia de quince años de campañas de exportación del lichi malgache.Resumen – El lichi en los mercados europeos. Con una producción anual mundial de 2,8 Mt, el lichi seclasifica como un fruto menor. La producción mundial se sitúa principalmente en el hemisferio norte(95%). No obstante, la mayor parte de las cantidades exportadas hacia la UE proviene del hemisferio sur.En este contexto, con sus 100.000 t de producción anual, Madagascar se posiciona como cuarto productormundial y primer productor en el hemisferio sur. Esta posición se debe al hecho de que los suministros delichi de la UE son estacionales y se concentran principalmente en el momento de las fiestas de fin de año.Este mercado puede abastecerse en cantidad sólo por los lichis malgaches, dado el inicio de su cosecha enel Océano Índico. La producción del lichi en Madagascar. El cultivo de lichi en Madagascar se remontaa comienzos del siglo XX. Se cultiva principalmente en las bajas tierras tropicales húmedas de la isla ytiene una producción limitada en las zonas de clima subtropical de invierno seco y fresco. Las zonas deproducción no se estructuran en vergeles. Consecuentemente, los volúmenes exportados actualmente sebasan en una producción alimentada por una multitud de pequeños productores. Se analizaron las carac-terísticas de la exportación del lichi malgache y las consecuencias del contexto de producción en suexportación. Cambios de la legislación europea en referencia a la importación de lichi. Las modifi-caciones reglamentarias de la UE desde 1987 y los desarrollos comerciales desde 1994 se presentaron a tra-vés del análisis de sus efectos en la exportación del lichi malgache. Enseñanza de quince años decampañas de exportación del lichi malgache. Los datos acerca de las campañas de exportación malga-ches del lichi entre 1996 y 2012 y la evolución de los volúmenes exportados durante esos años ofrecen unprofundo análisis de los factores que afectan el sector del lichi malgache. Factores de éxito de la expor-tación del lichi malgache. Estos factores están relacionados con la seguridad del mercado y las caracte-rísticas de una campaña de venta (fecha de la oferta en el mercado europeo, volúmenes exportados ycompetencia de los productos procedentes de otros países). Conclusión. A pesar de su comercializacióndurante un periodo muy breve, los lichis de Madagascar ocupan actualmente el primer puesto en los mer-cados europeos. Gracias al desarrollo de una logística de transporte que emplea cargueros de enormecapacidad han logrado eliminar todo tipo de competencia. Sin embargo este sector se estructura principal-mente a posteriori, por lo que se han ignorado las condiciones de su producción, que depende de una redde 30.000 pequeños productores. Esta falta de intervención anticipada de la cadena (refuerzo de la pro-ducción, mejora de la gestión de cultivos, etc.) no ayuda a sostener el sector a medio plazo.

Madagascar / Litchi chinensis / datos de producción / estructura de la producción /exportaciones / modos de transporte / reglamentaciones / control de calidad

Fruits, vol. 69 (1)