The imported product and the Community product were both perceived by consumers as alternatives to satisfy a particular want or demand , in this respect the differences identified by certain exporters and importers were simply minor variations .. This sentence is hard to understand. A simpler version with equivalent meaning is the following:
The imported product and the Community product were both considered by consumers as alternative products intended to satisfy a specific demand . From this point of view , the differences reported by some exporters and importers were only minor variations .