Baywa in München - the largest agricultural trading company in Germany - wants to change the apple production of their farmers during the next years in order to produce a more expensive apple variety that is popular in Eastern Asia.
"Asia is the place to be," board member Klaus Josef Lutz said in Frankfurt on Wednesday. "China is the fastest growing market for apples." Among the more expensive varieties are the so called club apples - brand protected new breeds such as 'Kanzi' or 'Jazz'. Baywa grow their apples in Germany, New Zealand and the USA.
The concern, however, is that varieties that used to be common will not be as profitable anymore. The worldwide apple production is growing steadily, for many new apple plantations have popped up in China and other countries these past years. Experts expect an increase in the worldwide apple harvest from the current 85 to 100 million tons a year. "It is obvious that we will not achieve record prices," Christiane Bell, director of Baywa, said.
Baywa director Lutz, however, complained about trade barriers: The European market is freely accessible for all importers, but in Eastern Asia, restrictions on European importers exist. "The Chinese are giving us a hard time by not giving us the necessary export licenses," he said.