Fresh Plaza — About 10 years ago, Holland could still boast a dominant role in the tomato market, especially in the marketing of Spanish produce. Those times, though, are over. Spain is now more than capable of handling things itself. The country supplies foreign wholesalers directly, not just in Western Europe, but in the East as well. So, Dutch importers were forced to insert some procedural changes.
Still, Holland is an important transshipment port, with over 90% of incoming produce leaving the country soon after. Plenty of opportunity you'd say. But there's another problem. The financial crisis in Spain has slowed down import, meaning that return loads are difficult to obtain, which draws a bill on the transport costs.
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