"The past pear season ended with great prices after a particularly bad start. Sales prices were at the highest point in the last decade. Downsized in terms of sales, we still managed to tie the seasons together," says Mark Vernooij of Urfruit.
"The start of this season, which we always start with the early mutant 'Corina', was very good. The fruit had a particularly good appearance, the pears green as grass with little bronzing. Sales went well at nice prices. The transition to regular Conference from Belgium is starting 
step by step this week. The Conference pears are a lot bronzer this year than last year, this is due to the cold spring. It is important to inform customers in time this year about this natural characteristic of the pears, which will be more visible this year," says Mark.
"In the Netherlands, the harvest has been brought forward a bit. Whereas initially the rule of thumb was: full flowering plus 130 days, after measurements to assess the ripening process, the decision had to be made to start earlier. The combination of a cold spring, staggered flowering in the tree, a warm June and the exceptionally wet July meant that the pears were at a further stage than initially thought."
The expected harvest in Belgium is 21% higher than last year, according to Prognosfruit. If these forecasts are correct, Belgium will be Europe's largest pear producer by the 2023 season. The Netherlands is predicted to have a smaller harvest than last year. "Looking at our own growing locations, we expect a good harvest. A nice number of fruit and in addition the size is developing well. The appearance of the pears is good, but the degree of bronzing is higher than last year," Mark continued.
"Prices for pears are currently considerably higher than last year, for Conference there is a wide range in the stock bin, depending on quality and conditions. For a good batch of Conference, prices are currently around €0.60-€0.65 in minus an x amount %. In Belgium, prices are said to be slightly lower. Comice is currently in high demand, mainly due to the poor harvest in Italy. With Comice, we are seeing prices above €0.80, which is exceptionally high. The Comice market has become increasingly balanced in terms of supply and demand in recent years. For Lucas, prices are currently between €0.40 - €0.45. This market typifies itself because of its very specific areas in Europe where this pear enjoys good sales. Outside those countries, demand for Lucas is very limited."
At the moment, there is a good demand in Europe for pears and we are looking forward to starting this season with fresh eyes again. We hope everyone gets their harvest in on time, over-ripe pears could disrupt the market from mid-September through October. It is better for everyone to be able to sell the product during this period with the right quality and without a 'story'."
For more information:
Mark Vernooij 
Urfruit
Marketing 45
6921 RE Duiven
+31 (0)575 472 473
[email protected]
www.urfruit.nl
