Belgian pears to Brazil in 2017

It is official, signatures have been secured for the export of Belgian pears to Brazil. Various contacts with Brazil had already occurred in late January, and on Friday 17 February, the signatures were secured to supply Belgian pears to the South American country. Philippe Appeltans of VBT says that much effort has been made to conquer this new market. “According to experts, this process usually takes about ten years. We took two years and four months, and we are naturally elated about that.”

According to Philippe, it could also have been taken care of in 18 months. “Except there was a bit of unrest in Brazil for a while, and the then Minister of Agriculture resigned. That delayed the process somewhat. We started the file practically immediately after the Russian boycott, and we worked very hard with many parties to make this happen. This has taken an enormous amount of time and work. The VBT worked closely together with its members, the Belgian auctions, the FAVV and the Belgian embassy in Brazil. We even hired a Brazilian consultant to ensure it all went smoothly.”

Philippe continues: “When we heard that the Brazilian minister would be present at the Grüne Woche and the European Commission, we naturally seized on his visit to speed up the process for the pears. We had contact on Wednesday 25, Thursday 26 and Friday 27 January. I personally talked to the Brazilian delegation during a breakfast meeting on 27 January. The Minister of Agriculture then indicated that he would sign within a few days, but that turned out to be three weeks”

This autumn, the first pears will be allowed to be shipped to Brazil. “We have properly prepared for this, and we have not just ensured access to the market, but we have also submitted an application for promotion of the pears in Brazil through VLAM, and that has also been approved. An EU budget will be made available to promote this pear in the South American country for the course of three years from the 2017 season.” Brazil has almost none of its own pear production, and mostly imports from Argentina. “There are plenty of opportunities therefore to send our pears to Brazil during the Belgian season. Brazil annually imports about 200,000 tonnes, so there is much potential.”

According to Philippe there are opportunities for large volumes, although that will have to be carefully secured. “We are looking at this step by step, keeping the long-term in mind. Considering the current economic situation, which is not ideal, it is important not to send volumes that are too large right away, but to gradually increase volumes. A plan is now being drawn up at sector level, in cooperation with cooperatives and cultivators. The parties that meet the requirements will be eligible for export to Brazil. We have to be careful that only the best quality is shipped, so that we do not violate the trust that has been built, and to protect the reputation of the Belgian pears. Together with VBT cultivators and the FAVV, we will prepare for that.”