"Prices for good pears pick up, apple market still slow to gain momentum"

The start of the Dutch top fruit season was not easy this year. "Volumes, especially of apples, were higher than expected across the board. With pears, quite a lot were harvested too late, which meant they also had to be cleared earlier. This created pressure on the market, particularly in the first months of the season," says Marcel van Lith of Veiling Zaltbommel.

However, he does see a positive trend in the pear market in particular. "At the moment, demand for good-quality pears is picking up, especially due to strong export demand. Over the past 10 days, prices for good pears in the bin have increased by as much as 5 to 10 cents."

"The apple market, by contrast, remains sluggish. On the positive side, more and more better batches are coming onto the market, as the Elstar ULO cells are opening and these are often lots from the first picking. Nevertheless, the apple market remains very full due to large volumes not only in the Netherlands, but also in neighbouring countries. This makes it difficult to generate price movement at the moment. That said, the eating quality is good thanks to the many hours of sunshine, and sales are running well. Since the end of harvest, there have been many promotions, so significant volumes have moved, and consumers have been able to buy good-quality fruit at attractive prices. That may offer prospects for the coming months."

At the Fruitteelt Vakbeurs in Houten in the coming days, Veiling Zaltbommel will introduce a new apple: Red Harry. "We are bringing this red-coloured Pinova mutant to the market as a concept, exclusively for growers affiliated with Veiling Zaltbommel. The apple is characterised by good flavour and uniform sizing, combined with high productivity. We therefore see good opportunities to list this variety on the clock as a concept and further develop its market position. During the fair, we will be happy to share more details."