"The unprecedented high temperatures during harvesting caused some anxiety about bringing in all the fruit on time. Now, however, we can say that, bar a few exceptions, most were in on time. Almost all those pears sold like clockwork," says Mark Vernooij of the Dutch company Urfruit.
"That's partly because we started on an empty market. Demand was good from the time of harvest through November. There's usually a sharp dip in late September/early October; this year's wasn't too bad. It was short-lived, and the market recovered quickly."
"The container prices have kept rising, and where we normally struggle to pay refrigeration costs, this year there was actually room to add this healthily," Mark explains.
"That's a nice development from which all growers can benefit. Last year's prices were dismal at the start of the season, resulting in growers who had to sell off early having a very disappointing year."
"Fortunately, growers are in a much better position this year regarding returns, provided, of course, that we all keep selling to avoid a potential stalling effect. Competing at a healthy level with part of your crop (last picked pears) is genuinely not a bad decision at present," notes the top fruit trader.
"There are far more rejects than in previous years, though. That's characterized by coarsening, peel damage, scab, and, to a fairly large extent, flea damage. With these high prices, a one percent higher dropout means almost €0.01/kg. It's crucial to consider that when determining your marketing strategy. Cold stores also count €0.008 to €0.01/kg/month. That, combined with increased rejects, can affect middle prices considerably."
Team Urfruit at Fruit Logistica
"Dutch pear stocks are currently two percent above last year's, according to AMI figures. Their prices are primarily due to the low EU production, especially Italy's mis-harvest. Our pears find their way to various European destinations, and despite the higher prices, there's no decrease in consumption. That gives the sector sufficient starting points for achieving a healthy future pear market," concludes Mark.
For more information:
Mark Vernooij
Urfruit
45 Marketing
6921 RE, Duiven, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 575 472 473
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.urfruit.nl