The most attractive of all French apples ended its season at the end of May. Despite the weather hazards encountered during its 7 months of ripening on the tree, French producers have reached a production of 90 000 tons and a very good quality. It is now time to evaluate the results and above all to watch out for the new harvest that is coming up.
An eco-responsible apple
Aware and concerned about the environment around it, the
Pink Lady Europe has been involved for several years in a model of sustainable agriculture combined with an irreproachable quality of work that meets the expectations of consumers by offering a healthy and natural product.
All Pink Lady producers in Europe ( located in France, Italy and
France, Italy and Spain), among which the 654 French producers, are committed to reducing their impact on the environment through sustainable practices. All the orchards are GLOBAL GAP GRASP, Eco-responsible or organic orchards, and High Environmental Value 3 certification for France.
Moreover, according to an internal study in Europe, 17% of the producers have already undertaken an organic conversion and 7% of Pink Lady producers are planning to convert their orchards to organic. Today, Pink Lady's organic production reaches 2,800 tons of apples, including 347 produced in France (+7% compared to the previous year). In an apple market experiencing difficulties, the Pink Lady has managed to succeed in establishing itself on the French market (+5% market share) thanks to a controlled quality based on a strong responsible approach shared by the whole industry.
The 2021-2022 French harvest in a few figures :
90,000 tons of French Pink Lady were harvested this past season. Its little sister, PinKids®, with a small size for children, represents 1/3 of the production of French Pink Lady apples consumed in France, the rest being exported. The Pink Lady continues to gain market share in France (+5%).
Note: The Pink Lady is the 3rd most consumed apple in France, behind the Gala and the Golden.
A 2021 harvest is on schedule despite some difficulties
Despite the wave of frosts in April 2021 during the flowering period, all the stakeholders in the Pink Lady Europe sector have worked together to harvest 173,000 tons of Pink Lady & PinKids, with 90,000 tons harvested in France.
Hardly comparable with the 2020-2021 season, during which the 200,000 tons mark was reached for European production, the 2021-2022 season was impacted by frost conditions, particularly in the South-West and Val d'Orcia. The frost wave occurred during the particularly delicate flowering period. Some trees suffered significant falls during the setting of the fruit. However, most of the orchards had been well protected overall and it should be noted that the sector is focusing on innovation with its Pink LAB to provide its producers with
prevention and warning tools.
Waiting for the next harvest...
In a context where the climate is expected to be increasingly disrupted, it is important to note that Pink Lady Europe, through its Pink LAB incubator, is investing in identifying and developing innovative technical and technological solutions to ensure increasingly sustainable production, enabling each producer to anticipate climatic hazards and react as best they can to protect their crops while preserving the environment. This is illustrated by the Decision Support Tool project set up last season with Weather Force, a specialist in weather data, which was presented at the last Agricultural Show in Paris.
So far, the new wave of frost suffered in April 2022 seems to have had little impact on the French Pink Lady orchard, but the latest heat waves affecting the country remain a threat to the 654 growers who are stepping up their efforts to protect the future crop. For now, it is still unclear what impact these new climatic hazards will have, but a similar episode in 2019 had a relatively negative impact on the harvest in the South-East. See you in early November 2022 for the next harvest. Until then, let the pretty lady rest and blossom under the sun of the 3 French production areas.
For more information:
pomme-pinklady.com