The new season has also begun for organic top fruit in Belgium. "At the end of July, we picked the first Qtee pears, and last week we also started with Conference. It's all much earlier than in other years, of course, but that seems to be a trend in recent years with the changing climate," says Gerard Kenens of VerKen Bio Deli-Vers.
© Gerard Kenens
Regarding quality, the organic grower is very satisfied. "With Qtee, we still have a nice, large size, and the quality of the fruit is also very good. Volumes also continue to rise each year, with us having more kilos than in previous years this year as well. Only the Conference is a bit disappointing for us. Not in quality, because it is excellent, much better than last year. But in yield."
Why is that? "Yes, tricky. It seems to be a common picture at the Organic Conference. There was plenty of blossom on the trees, but after flowering, it basically all dropped. What exactly the 
© Gerard Kenenscause is, we don't know. A dry northeast wind, perhaps, which made fertilisation more difficult. On top of that, there was little rain around flowering, so the fertilisers applied to the soil were not dissolved in time, and too little nitrogen was available to the tree at flowering. Still, we don't see this in all organic varieties. Nevertheless, it is certainly manageable, mind you. It is by no means a bad harvest, and we can still work well with it, especially given the quality."
The apples at the cultivation company in Loksbergen, Flanders, are also developing well, according to Gerard. "We have already picked Santana, and it looks good. It still needs to ripen in the cold store for a while, but then it will reach the market. Jonagold also looks to be a good crop. We still have these, even though we replace them bit by bit every year with resistant varieties, such as GoodnessMe. We planted the first trees of these in March, so we do have a few hanging on the trees, but certainly not yet for a commercial harvest. The idea is to plant more next season and get the first harvest next year. We are definitely confident in this variety as well."
© Gerard Kenens
First Piqa Red harvest
Finally, the first full crop of Piqa Boo, now called Piqa Red, is also ready at the organic farm this season. "We have had the first picking of those, and tomorrow we will carry out the second picking. After all, these have to be picked carefully by colour, so the timing has to be optimal. However, we are very positive about it. They are good volumes and good quality. All in all, we can be confident about the new season."
Whether demand will match the high expectations of the harvest, Gerard does not dare to predict. "I have little insight into that as a grower. After all, I sell through BelOrta, but in my view, that shouldn't be a problem. We never struggle with carryover stock anyway, because it is always cleared quite early. Besides, we have very good fruit, but it is only waiting for the right weather for consumption. At the moment, it is still a little too warm for an apple or a pear, but the first one is always eagerly awaited. Then in October, the market will really start forming."
For more information:
Gerard Kenens
VerKen Bio Deli-Vers
Zilveren-Helmenstraat 74
3545 Loksbergen, Belgium
Tel: +32 474199809
