Argentina's 2025 apple and pear season ended with stable volumes and good-sized fruit, but under pressure due to the increase in production costs. The main obstacle was not the weather or fruit quality. It was the loss of competitiveness against other producing countries, dragged down by internal economic factors such as inflation and exchange rate issues.
"The apples' main destinations were the domestic market and neighboring countries such as Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The Red Delicious and Granny Smith varieties are mainly aimed at these regional markets. The Cripps Pink (Pink Lady) is the only variety with real export capacity to the northern hemisphere. Still, competition is intense. Argentina's apples compete mainly with Chilean apples in South America and, to a lesser extent, with US apples in Central America. Sizes were somewhat larger than last year, but domestic demand was weak, and Brazil, one of the main buyers, maintained a slow pace of purchases," an exporter in the sector stated.
As for pears, the picture was mixed. "We had a good volume and sizes, but the fruits' visual appearance wasn't as good because of weather issues. The European market's behaviour was stable, the United States had a weaker season, and Russia's demand was higher than in previous years with more attractive prices, "he stated.
The main issue, the exporter said, is the cost of production. "Argentina now has a structural problem: costs in pesos are growing faster than the devaluation of the dollar, which deteriorates competitiveness. This situation complicates both domestic sales and exports, especially compared to countries with more efficient cost structures, such as Chile or South Africa. You can have a good harvest, good sizes, good fruit, but things don't add up if you can't cover costs, " he stated.
The future is still uncertain. "It's too early to talk about next season," he said. Some variables have yet to be defined, such as volumes in the northern hemisphere, stocks in Europe and the United States, and the evolution of global demand. The possibility of opening new markets such as India or China is being analyzed, but no progress has been made so far.
"Argentina's apple and pear production managed to maintain its levels, but the national macroeconomic context and international competition continue to condition the margins of the business," he stressed.