This season may see more competition amongst European top fruit

At exporter Herwi, in the Netherlands, top fruit export is running at full steam. Salesman Koen de Roy tells of his anticipation for the coming season. "The pears are a little bit smaller than first thought but there are still too many. This means that this year the price gap between smaller and larger sizes will be significant, but this is regarding the Conference Pear. The difference between 45/55 and 55 plus and over will be very high. At this moment there is already a difference of between 20 and 25 cent and this will be over the whole season. There is a market for larger pears and since there are fewer the prices will be higher."

Apples
"It is the opposite with apples. We expect a normal season as regards volume and the prices appear moderately good. The apples tend to be a little larger this year and this is reflected in the price. My thoughts are that the prices for the smaller sizes will be higher. Retailers prefer these sizes for their pre-packed trays and for bags. There are lots of large apples, so I expect prices to be 20 to 25 cents lower. The smaller sizes will be more expensive." According to De Roy amounts are still minimal. "But this may change as the main harvest arrives. At the moment there are many growers still harvesting and from week 43 it can all get a little looser."

Export
The trader sees a change in export this season. "The Russian market is very important for the top fruit trade and we are cautious of how this market will run. There is more trepidation because payments have not gone well in recent years. I think that European traders are going to be harder and keep more of a hand on their stock. Therefore more product will remain in Europe and there may be more competition on the Western-European market. There are also new opportunities on the export side. It is possible that there is place on the North American market. This is a market which is closer to the European mentality. I hope that this market will be more active." Koen said.

For more information:
Laurent Beckers
sa Herwi NV
Kernielerweg 59
B-3840 Borgloon - België
T +32 12 26 05 30
F +32 12 26 11 87
www.herwi.com
koen@herwi.com