The top fruit season has started again. In the Noordoostpolder, the Netherlands, they’ll wait until early September to start harvesting. “We always start later here. In very early years, it’s sometimes in August, but we usually start early September,” says Jan Kutschruiter from the fruit company of the same name.
Being too optimistic can be dangerous
He is moderately optimistic about the season. “On the one hand, I have a good feeling about it, for there is less product, so prices will probably be good. But being too optimistic can be dangerous. When everyone holds on to their products because they expect prices will be very high. This could result in retail thinking there’s not much available, so they won’t do promotional actions. That’s the danger.” He continues: “I’ve got quite a good feeling about it, but we just have to continue supplying right from the start, constantly supplying. I think we should do that with all growers. Demand should just be met. We should all do our best to make it a great year!”
Eighty per cent left
He indicates they can still harvest about 80 per cent of their top fruit. “It’s nice that we can still join in. Some companies in the south of the Netherlands, Belgium or other European countries can harvest much less, and were hit hard by frost and hail. Fortunately, we could irrigate during the frost period. It’s going to be a very good year for companies that still have a nice harvest.”
Only Elstar
Kutschruiter grows, sorts and cools top fruit. The company also processes a small part of its fruit into juice. The area is 58 hectares, and the annual sorting is about seven million kilograms of apples and pears, three million kilograms of which are our production. Sales of the fruit are done by The Greenery. In recent years the area decreased somewhat. “That’s because we’ve been grubbing up some varieties, such as Jonagold. We’re making our plantation quite a bit younger. But we are traditional. We mostly planted Red Prince and Elstar in recent years. Both of these are still doing very well. We focus more and more on the domestic market, and that’s only Elstar.” For more information:
Fruitbedrijf Kutschruiter BV
Zwartemeerpad 11
8317 PE Kraggenburg
Mobiel Jan Kutschruiter +31 (0)6 50435238
Fax: +31 (0)527 252487
info@fruitbedrijfkutschruiter.nl
www.fruitbedrijfkutschruiter.nl