"It's an art to stay small"

Geert Benats has been a fruit grower in Zoutleeuw, Flemish Brabant, since the mid 80s. "We started with apples back then, but I slowly switched to pears in the 90s. I have also been producing walnuts on low stems since 2009. But that's more of a hobby." He markets the products himself. "The sales go directly to the wholesaler."

Less kilos
Due to the frost of April 2017 he lost most of the current nut production. It wasn't as bad in pears. "I think the numbers won't be a problem, but the fruit size is a different story. It will mainly cost in kilos. You can harvest 6 to 7 tonnes less per hectare in a size's difference. After the blossoming, during the period of cell division, we had bad weather. Then we had a few months of serious drought which also has an impact on this fruit size. Of course we can water the trees, but rain is better. You can't imitate nature."

Both feet on the ground every day
Geert has an area of 7 hectares of pears and produces the varieties Triomphe, Durondeau and Conference. "Besides a fruit grower I am also a representative of crop protection agents at Stas Belgium NV in Glasbeek. Growing fruit is a new lesson to me every day." He opted for three varieties to spread the risk. "A combination of these pears worked perfectly for me, every varieties has its advantages and disadvantages."

The atmosphere in the Belgian fruit sector isn't positive. "Everyone goes through the Russia crisis every day. The bad weather conditions have also been affecting us for the last 2 years, such as hail, storms, too much rain, not enough rain and frost. Few growers were insured for hail damage. Not everyone can get through a few difficult seasons in a row."

The art of staying small
He is sceptical of new varieties. "If you look at how many club varieties have been introduced, only a small portion of them succeeded. I think you need to keep a level head as a grower. Not invest too heavily. I don't disagree with a concept variety, but it depends who is behind it. I believe private works better than a cooperation. It's hard for a cooperation to meets everyone demands. You notice this clearly in the pear variety "Celina" of Fruithandel Wouters. A producer can make a profit from that."

According to Geert it isn't easy for the entrepreneurial fruit grower. Besides the Russia crisis and the difficult weather conditions the small business growers also have to deal with a lot of regulations and difficult administrative red tape. I believe it's an art and an advantage to stay small as a company, sot hat the entrepreneur can keep an eye on the pressure of work themselves. If I look at our customer circle, we notice that the smaller companies have it easier than those with a larger area. The smaller companies usually have better financial reserves to get through difficult years. Companies with a larger surface often have more problems finding good staff, but also keeping them, which is bad for the company leader's work pressure."

For more information:
Geert Benats
Benats BVBA
geert.benats@proximedia.be
+32 478321692