Belgian Jonagold apples continue facing a challenging situation. Prices are somewhat better than last year's disastrous season. Still, many growers, like Bert Morren, opt for other crops. "Ultimately, we see the most potential in pears. We started the transition a while ago, so have only about two hectares of Jonagored left. We have no plans to uproot them yet, but this year, virtually all of those went to the industry as peeling apples," he begins.
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"In the summer, we also have Sissired, which sold quite well this season. However, we didn't expect to earn much from the Jonagold, so decided early on to sell everything to the industry. Their coloration was somewhat disappointing, and we had some issues with scab, too. Then, you don't incur costs for sorting and storage; you get rid of it as quickly as possible. We still used some for our apple juice and gin, which we sell in our store, but I didn't sort at all this year."
Selling pears while prices are good
Thus, throughout the season, the Flemish top fruit grower primarily focuses on the pear market. "Those sales are going very well. We're getting slightly better prices now than during harvesting, but given refrigeration costs and loss, we'll eventually end up with about the same. Prices are good as there's a steady demand for Belgian Conference pears all season long," says Bert.
The pears are also holding up well in storage, he adds. "You only start seeing potential storage issues from April/May, but we won't get that far. I never wait that long anymore, so I doubt we'll have pears until the end of the year. Since prices are good at present, I don't want to take the risk with storage."
"There might be losses, or something might go wrong with the storage. Prices could drop due to geopolitical tensions or the arrival of overseas top fruit on the market. I'd rather not take any chances and prefer selling everything as fast as possible," Bert explains.
It has been a generally positive season for pears for Morren, who was affiliated with BFV and has, since the fall, experienced its integration with BelOrta. "That all went very well. There were some minor adjustments, like a new website. The branch to which I deliver has stayed pretty much the same, though."
"Several growers who have their fruit sorted in BelOrta's new sorting center have told me everything's going completely to their satisfaction. I haven't had my pears sorted there yet. But everything's running very smoothly. That's quite an achievement after such a change," Bert concludes.
For more information:
Bert and Joke Morren
Morren Fruit Farm
6 Groen Street
3470, Kortenaken, NL
Tel: +32 (0) 474 764 669
fruitmorren@outlook.com
www.streekproductenmorren.be