The pear season in the southern hemisphere is set to kick off shortly with the first shipments from South Africa. "Due to the weather this season, vegetation has significantly advanced, allowing for harvesting to begin seven to ten days earlier," reports Malte Wegener from the family business of the same name based in Altes Land. "Despite the earlier harvest in South Africa, the first products won't arrive much earlier than usual due to the lack of efficiency and the resulting congestion at Cape Town's port, which can lead to delays of up to ten days. Therefore, we are forced to partially divert to Port Elizabeth on the Eastern Cape, which is associated with additional effort and costs. We hope that Cape Town shipping capacity will normalize in the coming weeks and that the goods will arrive as planned," Wegener adds.
The goods are partly sorted and packed at the origin according to customer specifications. In addition, the Wegener company also receives picked goods in bins or large crates, which are stored under Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA) conditions in Germany.
The first early pears have already been shipped and are on their way to Hamburg and Rotterdam. Wegener: "Until week 7, we will still be dealing with German pears to their full extent, from week 8 onwards, the retail sector will gradually switch to South African varieties such as Williams, Rosemarie, and Cheeky. Around weeks 9-10, we also expect the addition of the Celina variety, which has gained significant importance in recent years. However, the flagship of the South African pear industry remains the Forelle variety, which we can offer from CA storage until the start of the new European harvest."
The pear sorting process. Right: Pears laid out for the German market.
Fierce price competition with Asia
In the global market, the European market is in direct price competition with Asia, particularly China. "Due to attractive prices, exports towards China have significantly increased in recent years. The German retail sector is now slowly catching up, which is necessary in terms of supply security," Wegener explains, pointing to the current supply situation. "Compared to last year, there has been a Europe-wide decrease in harvest by ten percent, which has led to a good, solid price level. Accordingly, South African pear imports meet a receptive market."
He also points to the significant harvest losses in Italy. "This year, Italy is simply not a notable pear supplier, but there is no supply pressure anywhere in Europe. Accordingly, this year there has been an increased search for alternatives to the Abate Fetel, the flagship of the Italian pear production. This, in turn, has led to a higher demand for Conference and Xenia varieties." Wegener also expects a high demand for South African Abate Fetel, which will arrive around weeks 08/09. The retail season is expected to start from weeks 09/10.
More potential for German pear cultivation
In general, South African pear production has remained almost constant in recent years. "There have been no significant increases or expansions in area, with slightly rising export volumes. Celina has gained importance in the early segment and the trend is still slightly rising. Otherwise, the latest new plantings are divided as follows: 40 percent Forelle, 20 percent Packhams, 30 percent Rosemarie, Celina, and Cheeky, and the rest are Abate Fetel and Williams as well as smaller varieties. In principle, I believe that we will continue to rely on overseas imports, but I also see great potential for German pear production. Now it is about exploiting this potential and further advancing cultivation."
Images: Gustav Wegener u. Sohn GmbH u. Co. KG
More information:
Malte Wegener
Gustav Wegener u. Sohn GmbH u. Co. KG
Buxtehuder Straße 50 - 52
21635 Jork
Phone: +49 4162 9145-0
Fax: +49 4162 9145-45
Email: info@wegener-frucht.de
www.wegener-frucht.de