The Polish apple harvest is about to commence and volumes are expected to be higher than last year, but still below average. Due to the rough weather conditions in the spring and the damages that caused, it’s likely a larger percentage of the apples will be used for the processing industry.
The final preparations are being made, as the Polish apple harvest starts within the next two weeks. According to Jan Nowakowski, manager of Genesis Fresh, there will be more volumes harvested than the previous season: “We start the harvest in week 37/38 with Gala and follow that up with Champion, Golden, Jonagold, Red Prince, Red Delicious and Idared. The apple harvest will finish at the end of October 2020. This season, we expect to be better in terms of volume compared to last year’s low yield. We had been hit by early and late spring frost which resulted in less apples volume this season. Some orchards have also been damaged by hailstorms.”
Despite the volumes being higher than last season, the overall numbers are still lower than the Polish average, Nowakowski explains: “The total volume of apples will be 10 to 15 per cent less compared to the normal average volume. However, due to frost and hails, we will have more apples that will be delivered to processing industry. This means, we will have less apples destined for export, but still more volume compared to last year. Nevertheless, we expect higher export figures this season compared to the previous one.”
The pandemic has changed the way Genesis Fresh has to do business, especially when it comes to the company’s communication, Nowakowski explains. “As Covid has been with us globally for couple of months now, and it is clear that it will not disappear suddenly, we have changed our communication to be more digital which was already there. Nowadays, it became a standard for us to communicate in this way. Our brand and name does exist in social media and it is popular network for every company these days.”
Nowakowski normally visits quite a few of the trade exhibitions in Europe, but the coronavirus has made meeting in clients difficult: “The exhibitions went digital as well, so at this moment we’re not able to meet with our partners and clients in person. Hopefully it will change soon and we will be able to see each other in 2021. Digital fairs have become more popular nowadays, but we feel that meeting our friends and partners is also important for our relationship and we miss the opportunity to meet and greet our clients.”
Higher demand will lead to higher prices compared to previous seasons: “As the apples volume will be higher this season and global demand for health and healthy products is on the rise, we expect the export will be high as well. The prices are high this early in the season compared to previous year. I think the average price level for the whole season will be also higher compared to previous years. It seems like the same situation for other markets in Europe. The upcoming weeks will demonstrate the real business situation and opportunities. The trend shows, however, that it will be better season than last year.” Nowakowski concludes.
For more information:
Jan Nowakowski
Genesis Fresh
Tel: + 48 22 378 34 05
Email: info@genesisfresh.com
www.genesisfresh.com