Banana: Although the quantities were modest, whatever the origin, the average monthly price was very disappointing on most European Union markets. Sluggish demand seems to be the main cause of this poor performance. Avocado: Overall performance has been much better than average. However, demand has been disappointing in spite of the usual wave of special offers during the first half of the month. The market for Hasswith ample produce of sometimes uneven quality-was comparatively difficult. Market balance for green varieties was maintained until the middle of the month thanks to an easing off of supply. Orange: The excellent performance in terms of price should be viewed in perspective. Particularly small quantities were sold as a result of the early end to the South African late orange season and the late start of Spanish Navelines. The month's sales were therefore disappointing. Grapefruit: The months go by and origins change but the grapefruit market is still under-supplied-and continues to perform well. Clementine: The start of the 2003/2004 season has been more promising that the two previous seasons. Oversupply in October has been recurrent in recent years but was avoided this year in spite of somewhat timid demand. The fairly modest quantities of fruits available-mainly as a result of the marked decrease in supplies from Spain-goes a long way to explaining this performance. Litchi: October was marked by the total absence of litchi on European markets. The gap is between the end of the Israeli and Spanish export seasons and the start of the season in the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, South Africa, Mauritius and Réunion).