"It is still fairly early to say but we are anticipating a good QTee® pear harvest this year", says Kris Wouters of Belgian fruit wholesaler, Woutersfruit. "We expect to be able to deliver by 15 August. That is more than two weeks before the start of the Conference season. This is thanks to the weather during the QTee® pear flowering season. The expectations for the season are excellent. Last year, we had many small sizes. That was a result of the frost experienced during the flowering season. This year we are anticipating many large, good quality sizes."
Woutersfruit is one of the growers that cultivate the QTee® club variety in Belgium. The QTee® pear is called a 'blushed' pear because of its red exterior. In South Africa, many varieties look like the QTee®. Numerous South African pears have the same red skin. "Woutersfruit has had its PLU code in order since last week. We are already working on retail plans. We expect the harvest to be twice as large as last year. With the PLU code, we can supply more retailers", says Wouters.
Germany and the Middle East are the QTee® pear's biggest markets. Unlike the QTee®, the Conference has never been popular in the Middle East. They find the skin to be too rough. This variety is therefore seen as a Class II pear. "In contrast, the QTee® is very popular. This is the same for the blushed South African pears", continues Kris. "Asia is an interesting market for the QTee® pear. We have sold this variety in Malaysia, but not yet in Vietnam and China. We have, however, registered several plantations for these two countries in order to sell the pears there."
The expectations for the season are excellent. Despite, this, growers are always anticipating what the weather will do. "We cannot control the weather. Hail storms could throw a spanner in the works. We just have to wait to see what it looks like in a few weeks. Until then, we remain positive." The QTee® pear website has also been updated. "This pear is still relatively new. It is important to inform clients. We do this via, among other things, the website", concludes Kris.
For more information:
Kris Wouters
Woutersfruit
21 Kasteellaan
3454 Rummen
+32 (0) 475 283 696