There has been a record apple harvest in Europe this year. Despite this, Guido van Veldhoven is optimistic about the season. He is from the growing, cooling, and sorting company of the same name in Meteren, the Netherlands. "I see plenty of opportunities for the Elstar. The size of the harvest was not that big in the Netherlands. The domestic market can take in a lot of Elstars. In this respect, there is a kind of mutual dependence."
"The apples also ripened very quickly", he continues. "This makes for a great taste, but the shelf life will be a challenge. This is also true for the other Elstar cultivation areas such as Northern Germany. This means there will be plenty of pressure on the market until Christmas. There are a lot of apples to get rid of. However, if you have nice Elstar, this offers a lot of prospects for later in the season."
The farmer also does not consider the prospects for the Conference pear to be negative either. "Here, also, there will be a lot of pressure on the market in the first weeks. We picked really early, but I find this last harvest to be particularly good. The ripening is also great. Personally, I do not like freshly-picked Conferences, but this year they already taste good."
Van Veldhoven grows fruit on a small 30 hectares. He sells to various places. "For me, this wide-spread distribution works well. These companies are real sales partners. I also consider myself lucky in that I do not have any Jonagolds anymore. I would not want to be dependent on these. Not with the massive prospective Polish harvest on the horizon."
For more information:
Guido van Veldhoven
Van Veldhoven Fruit
3b Blankertseweg
4194 NL Meteren
Mob: + 31 (0) 651 905 280
info@veldhovenfruit.nl