UK year round domestic apples not far away

As they new season approaches the stocks of English apples is around 700 tonnes. According to Adrian Barlow from English Apples and Pears this is great news for the industry.

"Here were are mid June and we still have English dessert apples available, admittedly this was a late season and I think the coming season will also be late, but we have sold the entire crop apart from this 700 tones."

The 2015/16 season saw a 10% increase in volume for English apples, Barlow says there a clear potential to sell more apples in the early to mid summer period especially as storage techniques are rapidly improving and there are some new great late varieties emerging.



"This will potentially enable us to see English apples on the shelves for 12 months of the year. These days stored apples taste every bit as good, even better than freshly harvested ones. Our climate allows us to get unrivalled taste and quality into our apples," explains Barlow.

"We have seen a dramatic change in the production of English apples, we are now producing 60,000 tonnes of Gala, while back in the late 1990's the recommendations to growers from East Malling Research Institute was not to sell Galas beyond the end of January, but here we are in June still selling them and some of these new varieties will be capable of going beyond that."

More planting is taking place but a lot will depend on returns to growers, according to Barlow. This depends to an extent on prices, but he says there is still enormous potential for retailers to strip out costs in the supply chain, from the farm to the shelf.

"It may well be that increased returns to growers could be achieved without raising prices, but it is more likely that we need consumers to be paying more for apples so that there is more money available for investment. There is the potential for us to increase our share in the market, which at the moment is 34%, up to at least 50%. This will only happen if growers are prepared to invest in orchards, which will only happen if they get better returns and at the moment that is not the case."

He goes on to say that they been very fortunate in that retailers are generally aware that returns to English growers at the moment are insufficient, but nonetheless they have done their best to look after the interests of English growers.

"I have been saying that it is essential that there is a close relationship between growers, marketing organisations and retailers. The reason for that is that growers need to know what retailers want them to produce and in what quantities, rather than being it being a confrontational relationship it should be a partnership. We have been very lucky in this country that the retailers have adopted this approach."

Exports of apples to the Far and Middle East are on the up and DEFRA are currently discussing conditions for exporting apples to countries which are not yet open for English apples. More apples have been exported this year than ever before.

Sales of English apples were up 10% this year and Barlow thinks there will probably be the same kind of increase next season.

Publication date: 6/17/2016
Author: Nichola Watson
Copyright: www.freshplaza.com

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