"We have begun harvesting the Jonagold. This is happening earlier than in previous years", says fruit grower, Koen Burneel. He is from a Belgian farm with the same name. "Fortunately, we were able to irrigate, so they are of a good size. Their quality, sugar content, and firmness are also excellent. We expect a normal harvest. These apples are being brought to market cautiously. At the moment, these apples are going into cold storage. I think they will remain there a while as there is not yet much demand for apples."
Club varieties
Besides the Jonagold, this farm also grows the Elstar, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Jonagored. These varieties are mainly destined for the home sales. Most of Bruneel-Cox's Jonagold apples are sent to the domestic market. "Not much of our product goes overseas. Jonagold is an apple that still does very well in Belgium. However, the club varieties are getting more popular", says Koen. "We remain focused on the Jonagold, and we can see that there is still a lot of space on the market for this apple. There is a stable demand for Jonagold, but its acreage is slowly diminishing."
"I think this season will be the opposite of last year's. Then, we had very little fruit and high prices. Now, the expected volumes are reasonably high. We will have to wait and see what the sales and prices are going to do", Koen concludes.
For more information:
Koen & Martine
Fruitbedrijf Bruneel - Cox
4 Brandakkers
2310 Rijkevorsel
+32 (0) 33 14 33 99