"The harvest of Gala apples has finished. In the beginning we expected it to be 3% over the 2015 harvest, but the volumes are much the same as last year", Gerhard Dichgans, director of VOG, explains.
"Quality - he continues - is excellent, because July and August were perfect for apples, also for their coloration. Most calibres are 70/80 but 85+ calibres are missing. However, this production is excellent for shelf life and it will allows us to trade Gala apples until the end of March and more".
"The Golden Delicious and Red Delicious seasons are about to start and we hope the weather will be good because Golden apples are really sensitive. Granny Smith apples are about to be harvested in the lower areas and Kanzi® apples have been harvested for the last few days and they will be traded from today".
Gerhard Dichgans, director of VOG , at Macfrut 2016.
In terms of volumes, the amount of Golden apples is almost the same as last year, whereas Red Delicious are +2%. On the other hand, Fuji apples are -15% compared to 2015, probably because plants started a phase of alternation. The production of Pink Lady® and Kanzi® apples is expected to increase "Kanzi® apples - the director of Vogue continues - are expected to be 15,000 ton, 5,000 more than in 2015, for a market which is in constant progress, especially in Italy and Spain. Every year 20 hectares more start to produce and when they are all productive VOG will be able to produce up to 20,000 tons of Kanzi® apples per year".
Pink Lady® apples are expected to be +18% compared to last year. "We restart production - Dichgans says - forgetting last year's decrease".
Kanzi® apples, traded by VOG.
"Quality - he continues - is excellent, because July and August were perfect for apples, also for their coloration. Most calibres are 70/80 but 85+ calibres are missing. However, this production is excellent for shelf life and it will allows us to trade Gala apples until the end of March and more".
"The Golden Delicious and Red Delicious seasons are about to start and we hope the weather will be good because Golden apples are really sensitive. Granny Smith apples are about to be harvested in the lower areas and Kanzi® apples have been harvested for the last few days and they will be traded from today".
Gerhard Dichgans, director of VOG , at Macfrut 2016.
In terms of volumes, the amount of Golden apples is almost the same as last year, whereas Red Delicious are +2%. On the other hand, Fuji apples are -15% compared to 2015, probably because plants started a phase of alternation. The production of Pink Lady® and Kanzi® apples is expected to increase "Kanzi® apples - the director of Vogue continues - are expected to be 15,000 ton, 5,000 more than in 2015, for a market which is in constant progress, especially in Italy and Spain. Every year 20 hectares more start to produce and when they are all productive VOG will be able to produce up to 20,000 tons of Kanzi® apples per year".
Pink Lady® apples are expected to be +18% compared to last year. "We restart production - Dichgans says - forgetting last year's decrease".
Kanzi® apples, traded by VOG.
These data confirm that there is less interest in traditional varieties whereas researched and particular varieties are more appreciated. "That's why we decided to specialise in bicolour apples, new varieties, and club apples which could be suitable for our area. Moreover, we have specialised in the areas we'd like to supply", the director continues.
Envy® apples
Among the areas the company would like to supply are the Southeast Asian countries. "We export to Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong but we are also interested in China, Vietnam and Thailand - markets where we cannot presently trade because of health plant barriers and the absence of bilateral agreements between the countries (Italy, editor's note)".
"I'm optimistic about this new harvest because the production from the Southern hemisphere is no longer on the market. We ran out of Golden Delicious apples last August, so there are no goods on the market. Also, apple quality is better than in the past. Finally, the market for Pink Lady® and Kanzi® apples is in progress".
Gala apples labelled Marlene, i.e. the brand of VOG.
It is clear that also this year Polonia will be a strong competitor since the production of apples for the fresh and processed market is more than 4 million tons (4,150,000), especially Idared (800,000 tons), Shampion (500,000 tons), Jonagored (350,000 tons) e Gloster (180,000 tons). "In Poland they have made investments and innovations because they need to reinvent themselves", Dichgans concludes.
Contacts:
VOG - Consorzio delle Cooperative Ortofrutticole dell'Alto Adige
Email: info@vog.it
Website: www.marlene.it
Website: www.vog.it