"European apple and pear stocks are currently very low. There is an extremely high demand for top fruit. We have nothing but positive things to say about the whole situation," says Wendy Bangels of BP Fruitcraft in Belgium. "Both apple and pear prices are great. They are still of top quality, and sales are nicely structured. We have been dreaming of this kind of situation for years. The 2019/2020 is a great year for growers as well as traders."
BP Fruitcraft's Tim Pittevils and Wendy Bangels
Wendy can only guess at the real reasons for the high demand. It is, however, clear that the corona crisis plays a part. "We have never experienced a pandemic, so much is still uncertain. But, using common sense, you see people cannot go on holiday anymore and are using more food at home."
"They probably also have a higher food budget. One of our clients, a greengrocer, tells us people are buying a lot more than before the crisis. Some clients easily spend large amounts, which they did not do so much before," remarks Wendy.
"Despite the low stocks, we expect to end the season well. That is, as long as something unforeseen does not happen. The new season is at the door already too. The first Corina pears will soon be available again. The means the new season is around the corner. Conference pears have had a good growth season, up to now, with little frost damage."
"In contrast, Jonagold and Jonagored apples have had a lot of frost damage. Gala and Braeburn apples, fortunately, fared better. Despite this, we are very positive and hope the lean years are over. We hope to retain some of these positive developments. We want to be able to invest in new varieties and cultivation methods. We, as traders, want to also benefit from that," concludes Wendy.
For more information:
Wendy Bangels
Tim Pittevils
BP FruitCraft
16A Heer Street
3470, Kortenaken, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 470 951 032
Tel: +32 (0) 470 957 905
Email: wendy@bpfruitcraft.com
Email: tim@bpfruitcraft.com
Website: www.bpfruitcraft.com