Poland is hoping for a frost-free March in order to ensure a positive apple season. Currently volumes are low and quality is down, but if the country can make it to April without the temperature dipping to a freezing point, they could be headed towards another bumper crop.
The 2019 apple season in Poland has been a challenging one. Now that volumes are drying up even further, and quality issues are still persisting, prices have skyrocketed according to Mohamed Marawan, CEO of Polish apple exporter SaraFruit.
“As of now, the available apple volumes in Poland are very low. Between these low volumes, it’s almost impossible to find apples of great quality right now,” he explains. “Honestly we could have had better volumes and quality if we would have prepared better for the frosts with correct spraying and using the right irrigation systems. However, despite the quality issues, prices are constantly increasing for the apples.”
As stocks will continue to deplete over the upcoming weeks, Marawan looks to the new season with optimism. “Currently the weather in Poland is warm. So warm in fact, that leaves are already showing up on the trees. This could potentially be bad, because if the cold shows up during March, when the apple trees start to flower, we could have a similar season like this one. With very low quantities and more issues with quality. If we manage to avoid any frosts during the month of March, however, I expect we’re headed towards large volumes once again, similar like the 2018/2019 season we had.” Marawan said.
Other than waiting to see what nature has in store for the Polish, there’s not a lot growers and exporters can do. “What can be improved is the use of the right equipment under the challenging circumstances. Spraying will be important, as well as have a good rain-irrigation system. However, I personally don’t think the cold will reach us in time. Nature can never be truly predicted, but since we’ve made it this far without any true cold, I think the weather will be fine for the next few weeks. This means I believe we’re headed into a great season with large volumes.” Marawan concludes.
For more information:
Mohamed Marawan
Sarafruit
Tel: +48 537 935 155
Email: office@sarafruit.eu
www.sarafruit.eu