With the start of the summer holidays for many, the new pear season may still feel far off, but it is fast approaching. At Interpera, previews of the upcoming pear season across different parts of Europe were already shared, and for the Corina pear, an early selection of the Conference, the harvest is imminent. "We'll be quite early again this year, with picking expected around 27 July. Some growers will start a little earlier, others a little later, but just a few days after the 27th, the first Corina pears will be on supermarket shelves," says Willy Dillen, executive director of the Association of Corina Producers.
And it's looking promising, he notes. "It won't be a large harvest, around 2.1 million kilos, but the quality is excellent. They are smooth pears, and the sizes are also good this year. Because the blossom was not very strong, the fruit size was automatically larger, which is always welcome for growers. Corina tends to be small-fruited, so everyone is pleased when the size shifts toward the larger, more Conference-like sizes. Price is also largely determined by size. Of course, we still have to wait and see—there are three weeks to go, and anything can happen with the current climate. We saw that last year, too, but for now, we're on the right track."
Clean Conference market
So, expectations are good for the fruit itself, and the market situation is also favorable. "The expectation is that the market will be cleared of last season's Conference pears. Since Corina is harvested in the transition between old and new Conference pears, a clean market makes it easier for our traders. Supermarkets are always tempted to stick with Conference when available, so when that option is gone, it helps. Still, our traders always have to seek out retailers willing to pay a little more for a freshly picked pear. In recent years, that's gone quite well. We've managed to position ourselves with retailers who remain loyal to a fresh product."
The affiliated distributors for Corina will remain the same next season: Bel'Export, Koen Vanherck, Vergro, Devos Group, and Urfruit, which joined last year. 
© Willy Dillen"The difference this year is that Devos and Wouters Fruit are merging, which opens the door to some new channels through Wouters Fruit. They have customers who were previously less involved but are loyal to Wouters. That strengthens our sales."
Plant stop
In terms of acreage, little has changed from previous years. "We planted about 8 more hectares this winter, but that was just to replace trees lost due to growers quitting or older orchards being uprooted. That has now been restored. Beyond that, the planting freeze remains in place. Traders say they can manage with this volume, so adding more hectares would mostly just create problems, especially in years with larger harvests."
So, will new markets be sought for the Corina? "No, not for now. The smaller sizes have long been going to the UK and Scandinavia, while the larger sizes are nicely taken up by domestic markets. That's all fairly well balanced. The bigger challenge is working more closely with retail, which recognizes the added value of a fresh product and is willing to pay for it. That's important. It's not always easy, because sometimes you risk getting lost in the much larger Conference market that runs year-round, but that's something we need to keep focusing on."
For more information:
Willy Dillen
+32 (0)494 46 94 87
[email protected]
www.corinapeer.be
