The new apple and pear season starts earlier in BelgiumThe new apple and pear season in Belgium:
The harvest started two to three weeks earlier
Normal quality of apples, pears very good quality (especially large and medium calibers)
Belgium is the third largest producer of pears in the EU
Slightly higher expected auction prices
According to the predictions of Prognosfruit / Eurofel the apple harvest in Belgium this year 2% lower and the pear crop 4% higher. The harvest started exceptionally early this year: on August 21 for conferences, beginning in September for the Jonagold. But what can expect the trade of quality, prices and Flandria share?
Throughout the European Union (27 countries) brings new apple and pear season, a remarkable decrease in the volume of store apples (- 17%) and a slight decrease in the supply of store pears (- 3%). Koen Torfs, the director of Profruco, one of the auctions in the LAVA group, these decreases immediately qualifies: "They are almost exclusively due to the failure of the harvest in much of Eastern Europe. This is the result of three waves of late nights freezing (- 7 ° for several hours). Poland, the largest apple producing country of the Union, sees its volume halved. In Western Europe, we continued through the wonderful weather in April, just saved from frost. In most old member states, the apple harvest is stable or is it even considerably forward (+ 12% + 20% in the Netherlands and in Austria). "
Belgian apple industry switches to flash
The apple harvest will be in Belgium this year for lower (- 2%). This is mainly due to the fact that a lot of apple growers in recent years have switched to apple pears because of the persistently low prices. The limited conversion to other species plays a role.
The Belgian pear contrast, takes in the new season by 4%. With an expected production of 280,000 tonnes, Belgium, even the third largest pear producer in the EU (after Italy and Spain). "That should not surprise," says Koen Torfs.
"For six years, the pear acreage in Belgium each year increased by 10%, which is a huge amount. The production of conferences has more than doubled since 1998.
She took in recent years relatively high prices.Moreover, the demand from Russia is still growing. Russia is already the
largest export market for Belgian pears. The time when the market was satisfied with lower quality, is over. The rising standard of living creates an ever-wider layer of people willing to pay for quality. The success of our Conference has to do with the ideal blend of soil and climate. Only in the Benelux we succeeds in it the elongated Conference Pear and juicy with a rich flavor to grow. The Conference of Southern Europe is round and squat. "
Apples: a normal quality
"The apples Although there was some hail damage, but the nice weather in April and the almost ideal wet weather in July have a positive impact on the quality had" predicts Koen Torfs. "I expect a normal quality of our apples and gauges that our trade in recent years was common."
The proportion of Jonagold in the Belgian production continues to fall but is still 49%. The races offer is visible to the wider, even though the switch to other races still modest. Koen Torfs: "The shift is of course what slowed the shift to growing pears, but I see three trends. First
and foremost, a revival of Golden Delicious, a slight growth of new
varieties such as Kanzi, Belgica and Junami, and finally, new mutants of
traditional varieties (Picova, early varieties of Braeburn). The
changeover takes place in Belgium is certainly not to a single dominant
race at that time as Jonagold, but to a multitude of varieties. That is what the market looks ".
Pears: the most promising
In the trade will all last season (2006-2007) remembered as the season of small pears. Koen Torfs: "That will be different. Conference in the race, more than ever sterras of our production (87% of supply), I have seen great fruit with a smooth texture and excellent sugar content. The large and medium calibers will again offer the majority of the Belgian member and that is good for trade. In the other races I expect a very good quality ".
Remarkably early start to the season
The warm weather and good growing conditions during this summer, a remarkable early start to the new top fruit season:
For pears is August 21 from a strand of opinion. Last year it was Sept. 15. The first Belgian store pears in the new season, so three weeks earlier on the market than in 2006.
At the store apples, the harvest may already start in early September, that is more than two weeks earlier than last year.
Slight but not significant increases expected
Koen Torfs: "Last season took the apples after years of rock-bottom prices slightly higher average auction prices. When the pears were the picture differently. The major gauges were very expensive and rare. In the largest selection, the smaller calibers, we first saw a downward trend in auction prices. All remained pear average price much higher than the apple price ".
Predict a price for the new season is a delicate matter. At the meeting of Prognosfruit apples for much higher prices predicted due to the anticipated reduction in supply by 17%. Koen Torfs here is qualified: "Look at the numbers. The global volume of two-tone quality varieties will in Western Europe increased 4% for Jonagold,Gala 7% and even 35% for Fuji. There will be no shortages. I expect apples or even a slight price increase. "
The better quality and larger calibers in pear will probably provide slightly higher prices. Koen Torfs: "I expect that the higher prices will persist throughout the season. In the second half of last season we saw a decline in the quality of pear stocks as a result of hot weather in July 2006. Did prices fall in February. In the new season, I expect no quality problems ".
Pears: the most promising
In the trade will all last season (2006-2007) remembered as the season of small pears. Koen Torfs: "That will be different. Conference in the race, more than ever sterras of our production (87% of supply), I have seen great fruit with a smooth texture and excellent sugar content. The large and medium calibers will again offer the majority of the Belgian member and that is good for trade. In the other races I expect a very good quality ".
Remarkably early start to the season
The warm weather and good growing conditions during this summer, a remarkable early start to the new top fruit season:
For pears is August 21 from a strand of opinion. Last year it was Sept. 15. The first Belgian store pears in the new season, so three weeks earlier on the market than in 2006.
At the store apples, the harvest may already start in early September, that is more than two weeks earlier than last year.
Slight but not significant increases expected
Koen Torfs: "Last season took the apples after years of rock-bottom prices slightly higher average auction prices. When the pears were the picture differently. The major gauges were very expensive and rare. In the largest selection, the smaller calibers, we first saw a downward trend in auction prices. All remained pear average price much higher than the apple price ".
Predict a price for the new season is a delicate matter. At the meeting of Prognosfruit apples for much higher prices predicted due to the anticipated reduction in supply by 17%. Koen Torfs here is qualified: "Look at the numbers. The global volume of two-tone quality varieties will in Western Europe increased 4% for Jonagold,Gala 7% and even 35% for Fuji. There will be no shortages. I expect apples or even a slight price increase. "
The better quality and larger calibers in pear will probably provide slightly higher prices. Koen Torfs: "I expect that the higher prices will persist throughout the season. In the second half of last season we saw a decline in the quality of pear stocks as a result of hot weather in July 2006. Did prices fall in February. In the new season, I expect no quality problems ".
| race | expected volume | Percentage |
| Boskoop | 21 | 6 |
| Cox Orange | 3 | 1 |
| Elstar | 13 | 4 |
| Golden Delicious | 32 | 9 |
| Jonagold en Jonagoldmutanten | 170 | 49 |
| Jonagored | 74 | 21 |
| Andere (Kanzi, Braeburn, Belgica…) | 35 | 10 |
| Totaal | 348 | 100 |
| race | expected volume | Percentage |
| Conférence | 248 | 87 |
| Doyenné | 18 | 7 |
| Durondeau | 8 | 3 |
| Andere | 6 | 3 |
| Totaal | 280 | 100 |
No comments:
Post a Comment