Poland's total apple production is estimated to be at 3 million tons. This is according to the Dutch Fruit Growers Association, the NFO. Their overall quality is poorer than last year, reports the Polish Statistics Office.
That country experienced night frost in the second half of April and beginning of May. This caused damage in many orchards. This cold spell was followed by hot, dry weather in June. This caused a lot of molting in the fruit. All this, while the volume was already less than the 2018 record harvest.
Many of the young saplings still need to come into production. This means the total fruit harvest is estimated to be only 25% lower than expected. However, the yields could be much lower on individual plots.
There are also differences in yields in different regions and varieties. The highest losses are estimated to be among the Jonagold, Ligol, and Red Delicious varieties. In general, better production is expected for Gala, Shampion, and Golden Delicious apples.
Lower production is also expected among fruit. These fruits include pears, cherries, and, to a lesser degree, plums. Pear production is estimated to be at 67,000 tons (-26%). The plum harvest will be 95,000 tons (-20%). Cherry production is at 155,000 tons of sour cherries (-22%) and 43,000 tons of sweet cherries (-28%).
The Prognosfruit Congress will be held on Thursday, 8 August. Here, harvest estimates of all 28 EU member countries are to be announced. The Polish figures had already been published in the run-up to the congress.
Source: NFO