"Polish competition makes pear export almost impossible"

Dutch top fruit traders are complaining about the huge competition from Poland. "The difference in price between us and Poland is 25 cents. That is such a big difference that there is no way to make a deal. Besides Poland, South European countries like Italy and Spain still have pears on the market, but those markets are emptying quickly. So this could have a positive influence on the market in the future. The rumour is that Poland should be empty in a month, which should send more demand our way."

The inland market can't take everything and there is no chance for the export. The Dutch and Belgian Conférence pears are a lot better in quality, but pears are being bought based purely on price and these countries work for less money. That makes export really difficult at the moment. You can see growers holding on to their produce, because they're betting on the prices going up. The supply in Belgium is even bigger than here. 1.2 million kilos was clocked there yesterday," concludes the exporter.