"Hopefully retail is prepared to adjust size sorting of pears 5 mm down"

The drought has had consequences for the apple harvest at Veiling Zuid-Limburg. "Unlike other cultivation areas we can't irrigate here. We have a reasonable harvest, but not a great one," says director Michel Schrijnemaekers. "A lot of apple tree plots were affected by sunburn and the pears are behind in size."

The new season was opened with the Delcorf apples on auction. "This season has gone very reasonably so far with average prices around 80-90 cents. Now the market is under pressure because the Elstar is coming onto the market en masse. In my view it's a week too early. We currently have a very tasty apple with the Delcorf," says Michel. The supply of summer pears at Veiling Zuid-Limburg is limited. "The season of Triomphe de Vienne went reasonably well, but is now being ended."

The first Conference pears are now being picked and the lacking size sortation stands out. "I would have preferred to have seen coarser pears, but we have to make do with what we have," concludes Michel. "I hope retail is prepared to adjust the size sorting 5 millimetres down. Between the 65 and 60 sorting this is a lot of pears. Supermarkets have been prepared to do this to an extent in the past. If the 65s are making 1.35 Euro and the 60s and making 80 cents, it happens anyway."

"In general we can conclude from the figures from Prognosfruit that there is going to be a large European harvest. But I increasingly hear that the damage caused by dry weather and sunburn is extensive. This means the predictions will have to be adjusted down and I'm curious as to what influence this will have on the price formation," says Michel. "The price for industry fruit will also be determining in this. Unfortunately that market when down hugely in recent weeks due to the huge Polish supply. That isn't good, as if the bottom of the market sinks, everything will go down with it."

For more information:
Coöperatieve Fruitveiling Zuid-Limburg
Aan de Fremme 33
6269 BK Margraten
Tel: 0031 (0) 43-458588
Fax: 00031 (0) 43-4588599
info@veilingzl.nl
www.veilingzl.nl