"In the past new pears were appreciated"

Dutch pear sales are dismal at the moment. "Class I pears, which meet the highest standards sell well, but everything just below that is not selling at all," says Frans Buijsrogge of the fruit growing, refrigeration and transport company of Buijsrooge Fruit. "The stock in cold rooms have already been sorted, The problem is that they get rejected. There just has to be some small blemish, and the whole lot gets rejected."

"This is good for the supermarkets. They have enough suppliers," says Frans. Is the pear stock too large? "It is always too big if they do not sell. In the past, people could not get pears for six weeks. They were hungry for new pears. Now, the seasons overlap. There is also a lot of competition from cherries, strawberries, nectarines and saturn peaches."

Frans is optimistic about the upcoming season. "It not a case of there not being enough pears. There are enough in Belgium and the Netherlands. Supermarkets can have good sales and there will be good opportunities for exporters again. The toppers who are paying attention to their orchards will save the market. It is becoming more difficult to sell Class II pears. I also think there will be a shift from Lukas' and Doyenne du Comice to Conference varieties, with the Xenia also having a chance. If you have top quality Conferences, you will do well."

For more information:
Frans Buijsrogge
Buijsrogge Fruit
's-Gravenpolderseweg 118
4462 RA Goes
Tel: +31 (0) 655 801 980
fransbuijsrogge@zeelandnet.nl