Catalonia's apple and pear production will drop this season, with slight variations depending on the area. The apple volume is expected to fall by 1% (273,970 tonnes) and that of pears by 8% (139,420 tonnes).
The weather is the main reason for this, as abundant rains and hailstorms were recorded during the spring that took a toll on the flowering and fruit setting.
The acreage devoted to apples and pears is also lower than in 2017, since even though there have been new plantings, these have not compensated for the trees that have been uprooted.
In general, the harvest is expected to start 5 to 10 days later than in 2017.
Given these data, Joan Serentill, president of the Pome Fruit Working Group at Afrucat, wished to highlight his concern about the constant decline in Lleida's pear production, insisting on the need to look for strategies to keep the crop's cultivation profitable.
For Manel Simon, Managing Director of Afrucat, the forecast data need to be assessed together with the first news coming from Europe. Also worth considering is the fact that there are no apple and pear stocks in Catalan chambers, and no stone fruit is kept in storage either, since it is sold as soon as it is harvested.
As regards Europe and China, we'll still have to wait for the prospects reported at the Prognosfruit congress, since although at first it seemed that the recovery of the apple production was widespread, in recent weeks, the inclement weather may have also taken a toll in China and Poland.
The total forecast for pears is also unknown, since Belgium and the Netherlands, the main producers, have not yet published their estimates.
Due to these two factors, the development of the campaign remains unpredictable.
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