This year's Upper Austria top fruit season is slowly but surely starting. For about a week, the first early apples of the year are being picked. However, due to the extent of the older stocks, there is great pressure on prices, says Gerhard Schiefermüller, Managing Director of Apfelino KG. The assortment of this major supplier, however, now also includes more and more fruits from regional cultivation besides the apples, said the expert in an interview with FreshPlaza.
Despite the difficult market conditions, the Galmac varieties of apples are very much in demand, says Schiefermüller. "We are seeing a lot of enthusiasm for the new apples, but the price pressure is considerable, so I argue in favor of introducing mechanisms to remove surplus apples from the market. After this disastrous season, many companies will throw in the towel anyway."
An alternative measure would be the processing of all remaining apples in storage. "We ourselves are already increasingly processing the aging produce, and the prices are all right, especially those of the peeled apples for large-scale consumption and the gastro customers."
The campaign of early apples is currently in full swing. At the beginning of September, it will flow seamlessly into the main crop. Then the first Elstar and Gala apples will be harvested.
In addition, Apfelino endeavors - despite the difficult market conditions - to place unusual special varieties (Wellant and Rubens) within Austrian food retailing. "The shelf space for apples tends to become smaller in Austria, and the market share of proven varieties such as Pink Lady produced abroad - currently accounting for about 20-25 percent of the market - are getting larger. Everyone wants to get in there," Schiefermüller said.
Soft fruit is cultivated outdoors under rain covers. Raspberries start at the beginning of July and are harvested up until November. "At the moment we have a suitable variety that we can harvest between late summer and autumn, i.e. until the second main harvest of the Reginas."
Soft fruit increasingly in focus
Due in part to the difficult environment in the apple industry, Apfelino GmbH has been investing more heavily in the cultivation of soft fruit for some years, currently comprising 3 hectares. In addition to raspberries, blackberries and currants, the range also includes more unusual berry fruits such as spiny and (organic) kiwi berries. Schiefermüller: "We see a great demand for regional raspberries. These are usually processed, but the quality of today's yields is so good that we offer the lion's share to the fresh market. For us it is simply important that - if we include a fruit in our assortment - it also fits in with processing."
The remaining berry fruits, however, are grown and marketed in a smaller style. "For soft fruit, the kiwi berry is in second place in terms of surface area. Unfortunately late frosts have considerably delayed the market launch in recent years. We are fighting against the bad image of blackberries, as these are still considered sour berries: with the Asterina, we have found a reasonable variety and I also see an interesting potential for regional blackberries."
For more information:
Apfelino KG
Ing. Gerhard Schiefermüller
in der Haberfelden 1
4613 Mistelbach
Tel.: 07242/28221
Fax: 07242/210172
mailto: gerhard@apfelino.at
www.apfelino.at