MARKETING ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS IN EXPORTING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES FROM THIRD COUNTRIES 1) INTO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

Among third countries which export fruit and vegetables into the Federal Republic of Germany developing countries make increasing efforts to build up and extend an export-orientated horticulture. They want to derive profit from their comparative cost advantages, resulting from their favourable ecological conditions and their sufficiently available labourers (cf. CARLSSON/ STORCK 1974). According to product and season they can directly or indirectly (substitute competition) compete with products from the inland and from other EEC-countries (particularly with glass-house crops) as well as from industrialized third countries with similar ecological conditions. However, a thorough study of reports and internal informations about projects to promote the export of horticultural products in developing countries gives the impression that these efforts more frequently lead to unsatisfying results than to successes. The causes for this are manifold and complex. In many cases they may result from insufficient knowledge about the export markets and their competitive conditions. From these facts resulted the aim of this study, to examine marketing activities of exporters from their countries and different problems with the organization of export into Germany. To this German importers were interviewed.

The given paper is of preliminary character. It includes only a few aspects of our extensive research. The empirical results of this study are to be understood from the point of view of the interviewed German importers.