Aroma Trading Limited

Market Report February 2002

Euro fluctuations...
We are now entering our second month of this new currency and it is interesting how some of our suppliers have adopted very advantageous exchange rates in changing their prices over to the new currency. Having spoken with a number of people in the industry, they too are not happy with the way the introduction of the Euro has been used by some suppliers to pump their margins a few percentage points.

Meanwhile, the UK Government has still to make any commitment to change over to the new currency in the foreseeable future. It is too busy making excuses for the deplorable state of our health service, railway network, grossly overpriced fuel, declining standards in education, and perfecting the art of information control through layers of 'spin doctors', where lying gits like our Transport Minister keep their jobs even though they are incompetent and continually fail to tell the truth, when in industry they would be fired without a moments hesitation.

Before I get carried away, here is the February report...

Bergamot
Our Sicilian distiller advises his crop is down on last year, but we are aware of a large carryover from last year's crop, so prices should be unaffected. There are plentiful supplies of both Ivory Coast and Argentine oil available also.

Coriander
For as long as I can remember, traders have been forecasting the impending shortages of Coriander Oil and nothing has ever happened as someone always had material available. Since these last few months, there are no supplies being offered at origin, and our supplier has notified us that he can not even secure supplies of Coriander Seeds.

Eucalyptus oil
Supplies are still tight for Chinese material, as the Chinese New Year celebrations come to an end. Spot prices continue to ease upwards, and there seems to be little if any material in transit from Chinese shippers. Some questionable material has been offered, with high Limonene content, so exercise extreme caution and analyse the material carefully.

Geranium oil
Buyers have been taking advantage of the comparatively cheaper Egyptian material as Chinese Oil continues at its higher price levels. As a result, spot prices for Egyptian material have jumped by over USD $5.00 kilo and are rising as we go to print.

Juniper Berry
Supplies of oil are plentiful, and any number of East European suppliers are offering their oil at competitive prices. However, quality does vary considerably. Spot prices of Juniper Needle / Twig Oil have increased slightly,

Orange Oil
Some stocks were released for sale last month causing prices to drop slightly, but the situation regarding how well the large consumers are covered until the next Brazilian crop in 4-5 months is uncertain. If Florida suffers with any adverse weather conditions in the coming months, it would certainly drive prices forward.

Pepper Black
Supplies seem plentiful in India, and we anticipate further reductions in price in the coming weeks.

Web Watch
We have covered a number of fund raising projects over the years, and this month we would like to highlight a project to raise money for breast cancer research. Click on www.walkthewalk.org to see novel ways to raise cash.