The recent frosts in Poland have not definitively resulted in lots of damage to all of the Polish apple orchards, says Aniruddh Ramesh, director of Polish apple exporter LVMG Grupa: "It's too early to estimate the impact of the frost here. Certainly, there were some cold nights, and our growers say there were some damages in some parts of their farms, despite their efforts to minimize the damage. So, whether there is truth in the damages caused by the frost, or whether this is speculation, used to incite a price hike, is uncertain as of now. Of course, we hope to see a full crop with good quantity and, of course, high-quality fruits. For that to happen, the weather factors need to be in favour too in the remaining time before harvest."
There's a more strategic approach to the current season, Ramesh explains. "We're operating more CA rooms than in the previous seasons, as we realise the importance of having our own stock of fruits to keep the trade going on and use it at a time when there is a lower possibility to purchase fruits from growers during the season at high-demand periods. There is nothing much we can complain about when it comes to the logistics, as it's been very good this season, without any shortages or issues, such as stable rates and availability of shipping equipment throughout the season."
The Indian market has been rather good to LVMG this year, as this is their main export market. Ramesh is thankful that the recent war has not resulted in major disruptions and came to an end quickly: "The Indian market was good for us, as usual. The demand was there for most parts of the season; there were moments when we had stock, but demand lagged behind. However, the demand is back at the moment, and we are still shipping Red Jonaprince varieties to India as we speak. Thank God the war didn't start on a big scale, and before any bigger escalation could happen, the ceasefire was put into place, without any impact on trade. I know it's currently the season of fresh mango export as well, from both India and Pakistan. So it's good that this trade hasn't been affected by the war."
Right after the apple season, LVMG will switch to its blueberry season. "We are finishing up the apple export season soon and are starting to prepare for our fresh blueberry season. So our focus is slowly moving on to these preparations," Ramesh concludes.
For more information:
Aniruddh Ramesh
LVMG Grupa Sp.z o.o.
Email: [email protected]
http://www.lvmg.pl