At the moment, the top fruit market is quiet. "The prices have gone up a bit, but it's not plain sailing yet," exporter Jan Timmermans concludes. "Some of it is going to destinations like Scandinavia, Germany, England, France, Italy, and Eastern Europe is also buying some pears, but it's all small quantities with tight margins. We would like to see sales go a bit more smoothly."
"Today, another large quantity of pears was up for auction in Belgium. Looking ahead though, I'm not entirely pessimistic about the pear market. I don't expect the pear prices to go down. A condition for that is that sales keep going, but I think in that case we can continue at this price level. The shelf life of the first South African pears appears to be a bit disappointing still, but we'll have to wait and see what volumes will come our way, although I don't expect this will have a big influence on sales of Conference."
China
"The pear export to China is clearly at an early stage. It appears that quite a few pears have been sold without supporting promotions, but a market like that really has to be built from the ground. In other new markets, we started with a few pallets per plane, and now a relatively large quantity is going there immediately. But you can't say whether or not the export to China is going smoothly. The country is a bit too big for that. Looking at the population size, at least the market has enough potential, and I really do have good expectations for the future, but it will take a few years."
Jan is more cautious over the prospects for the apple market. "There is a lot of pressure from the East, with low prices. Selling apples is largely a domestic affair, but I do think that domestic consumption is at a high level. But with the apples, it will remain difficult this season."
C.G.Timmermans & Zn. B.V. is an exhibitor at Fruit Logistica, Hall 3.2, Stand B-08
For more information:
Jan Timmermans
C.G.Timmermans & Zn. B.V.
Veensesteeg 15
4264 ZG Veen
jan@timfruit.nl
www.timfruit.nl