There is an awful lot of pressure on the organic pear market at the moment. This is according to Gunther De Vadder of BelOrta. "It surprises me that so many people were not informed that there are few volumes available all over Europe," explains the organic fruit specialist, formerly of BFV, who has been working for BelOrta as of October 1.
"We are now saying no more often than yes," he continues. "Back in May there were calls for the programs to be agreed because there would be so much less volume coming from Italy. Even after the July harvest forecast, where Italy was at about 10 percent of normal, many remained stubborn and tried to get product out of the country. Then it turns out that there are indeed virtually no organic pears to buy there and they now come to us anyway asking for 5 trucks."
Gunther points out that when it comes to new requests, he cannot even manage one truck a week. "We, the Netherlands and Poland are the only countries with organic pears still available. Outside of that, everyone has their programs running. If I want to supply new customers now, I have to start buying from someone else." It is, he argues, causing considerable panic in the market right now. "You see that people are already realizing that they are going to run out of organic pears, so emotions sometimes run high. I got really angry calls the other day, because I couldn't supply pears outside the ongoing programs. It's just that there is simply no other way. Buyers who normally went to Italy now come to us in mid-November to ask for 5 trucks a week. That's obviously not going to happen."
He therefore foresees that there will certainly not be enough volumes to get through the year. "I have guaranteed that we can supply our regular programs until week 8. Then it would initially run over to the overseas season, which was scheduled for week 6 or 7. I now know that this will also be somewhat later. That is already causing extension requests in the meantime."
Less suitable for long term storage
"Only you also shouldn't aim too far into the season for quality reasons," Gunther explains. "Last year we had a dry spring and dry summer, but this year we've had a wet spring and wet summer. Qualitatively they are delicious, but as a result the pears are a lot more bronze and sweeter. That causes problems in storage in the long run. Last year we had pears until Easter week, but we're not going to be able to the same this year. On the other hand, we do have a lot of large calibers coming out of the grades. Only 3 percent are industry, which again is nice for growers."
In terms of prices, however, he is trying to be cautious. "With substantially lower volumes and very high demand, prices can still shoot through the roof. We also see that some are already asking €2.20, but we still want to keep it at a reasonable level. After all, on the one hand, you shouldn't want to scare consumers, thereby driving them away, and on the other hand, we have built up a large clientele of regular, reliable partners. Then we don't want to suddenly ask for much more. There will also be down years when we will need them more. That way you know what you have to offer each other."
Positive year for organic apples
So while organic pears are flying over the counter like hot cakes, apples are also running full steam ahead on this positive trend. "We have had two weeks of somewhat lower sales, but for the St. Nicholas period it is traditionally a small dip. However, all in all we are still about 6 weeks ahead of last year."
The biggest reason for this, Gunther continues, lies in the fact that the apple is still the cheapest fruit on the organic shelf. "Almost all fruit is relatively expensive at the moment, so even though we have gone up in price slightly due to lower volumes, people continue to opt for the apples in these times. Moreover, the pressure from overseas fruit is not there yet, so the shelf space is there for the Belgian supply. Unlike last year, we don't expect to go year-round with the apples, but the biggest variety, Jonagold, will be available about until the end of April."
First organic strawberries
Finally, the first organic strawberries will soon be available at BelOrta in May. "That's the first time for them. There is an organic apple grower we work with who tried to set up the through-bearing Falco on bare ground last year. That proved successful at the time. He now has a hectare on certified organic land in tunnel cultivation, which we will soon be able to offer the full month of May. It is an ideal addition to the range, just after apples and pears, but before cherries."
For more information:
Gunther De Vadder 
BelOrta
Mechelsesteenweg 120
B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
+32(0)155 655 291
info@belorta.be
www.belorta.be