The Institute for the support of Italian pear farming (OI Pera), provided FreshPlaza with an analysis of the market trends, “In the last few years, the Conference variety has been increasingly present on an EU level, caused by the expansion of Belgium and the Netherlands. 10 years ago, this variety represented only 30% whereas nowadays it is over 40%. This happened at the expense of traditional varieties, which tend to decrease year after year”.
The organisation added, “Italy’s trends highlight a gradual strengthening of the Abate Fetel, a certain stability for the William and a recent, yet particularly noticeable, reduction of Conference”.
With regard to the ‘club’ pears – which are the patented ones – the offer is generally increasing. This is a positive sign, but the quantities are still limited". OI Pera pointed out, “There is only a limited number of club pear cultivars. In Italy and Europe, we can mention the Angelys, Falstaff and Sweet Sensation. There are single programs in terms of plants to plant. Therefore, the volume is managed by each of the clubs, individually”.
Current season Falstaff pears
Wapa's data update for the current season
OI Pera stated, “During August, we were expecting a slight 4% increase compared to 2017, which appeared lower than the average in terms of the offer. The recent update confirmed the expectations for 2018: on an EU level, there are almost 2.3 million tons”.
“We still have to check the actual volume harvested over this season. Not all the countries updated their situations. The consequences of the high temperatures have to be evaluated in some countries. The climate could have influenced the development of the fruits, as already foreseen during the Prognosfruit conference.
“On the basis of the last update, the expected yields are confirmed. Therefore, the actual variation of the yields on an EU level compared to the last season will be assessed only in the final balance.
“Wapa’s data reports a very recent update from the USA’s productions. The offer for the 2018 season should be of 638.000 tons, which corresponds to a 14% increase compared to 2017.
“Generally, on a global level, the volume of harvested pears is perfectly aligned with the average of the 2014-2016 period. With regard to the countries in the Northern hemisphere, the available quantitative data show a slightly increased production compared to last season. The volumes of 2018 are close to the average of the recent years. Currently, there is no problem of storage of the product, in terms of spaces available.
The beginning of the marketing season
OI Pera provided some suggestions for the beginning of the 2018/19 marketing season, “In Italy, the season has started quite calmly, as usually happens in this first phase. ‘Late’ high temperatures foster the consumption of summer fruits compared to the fall-winter varieties. The placement of the product on foreign markets has started as well, yet the situation is not particularly lively. In these weeks, they prefer the local products, only later they will import some.
“Therefore, we are hoping for a regular market in the coming months. Because of this, it will be possible to avoid the product difference between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The right quantity of pears will foster complementarity among the different origins. Europe and the USA should keep their status as principal marketing areas for South American and South African pear exporters”.