The name is absent

Depreciation appears in the operating account in small amounts (approx. 4 to 5%), which reflects an
industry which is non capital-intense and material investments which are probably insufficient in a
context of international competition.

Residual costs relate to other intermediate consumption of foods and services (in particular packaging,
logistics, marketing). These costs are significant, totalling about 25 to 35% of total production costs.

The score for wholesalers companies

Downstream in the fresh and processed fruit and vegetable production chain we find multiple distribution
chains: specialised and generalist food wholesalers and retailers, non-household restauration, market
stalls, direct sales. The statistics available do not allow us to study all of these circuits. We will consider
only buyers dealing with farmers or industrial producers, i.e. wholesalers specialised in fresh fruit and
vegetables as well as food purchasing centres.

The following figures must be taken with caution due to the uncertain nature of the compatibilities of the
trading companies. Compared to the turnover estimated above for the production of fresh (35 billion €)
and processed (22 billion €) fruit and vegetables, they seem to have been underestimated, all the more so
as the generalist food trade is a multi-produce affair. They nevertheless give a rough idea which allows
us to estimate the concentration of the wholesale food trade following the development of large-volume
distribution and the appearance of very large integrated groups.

Tabl. 7: Fresh F&V and Food Wholesalers, 5 EU Countries, 1999-2004

Source : computed from Amadeus Database

Our objective here is not to define the size of this commercial sector in absolute terms but to understand
its density and performances in a regional context. We hypothesise that the presence of a structured
downstream is a factor of modernisation and dynamism for the producers (Cook, 2004), without for all
that underestimating the sometimes perverse effects of this type of circuit on the nearby production areas
when these are smaller in size and not adapted to the demands of large-volume distribution.

The results of the scoring for commercial companies are highly contrasting due to the considerable
diversity in size and performance between the identified operators. When the number and size of
companies is small (as is the case of food purchasing companies in the regions of Trentino and Puglia),
the score must be taken with caution. However, we note the presence of large wholesalers of fresh fruit
and vegetables in these regions, thereby justifying their ranking. Italy and Spain have powerful structures
in the “fresh” sector in regions with huge production areas (Trentino, Puglia, Piemonte, Valencia,
Cataluna, Murcia), a fact that bears witness to an organisational capacity downstream in the supply
chains. France is more present in the sector of versatile food purchasing centres (Rhône-Alpes,
Languedoc-Roussillon), but the share of fresh and processed fruit and vegetables in the turnover of these
firms is limited. Finally, Portugal and certain regions in Italy (Sicilia, Calabria) display a weakness with
regard to this criterion. It should be noted that Andalusia, which is an important producer, is penalised by
the weak economic performance of its numerous fresh fruit and vegetable wholesalers.

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