The start of the Conference pear season in El Bierzo, Spain, has been marked by the drop in the production volume, which will be between 50 and 80% smaller than average. Pablo Linares, technical director of the Bierzo Guarantee Mark, stressed that the damage caused by the spring frosts will prevent the production volume from reaching the 12.5 million kilos that were harvested last year.
This reduction in yields will have an impact on the fruit's marketing, since the Conference pears from El Bierzo go through a series of checks before they can be stored and then sold throughout the year. This year, however, the reduction in the supply will have to be taken into account when looking into meeting the market demand.
Linares points to a growing trend of recent decades: the decline of apples in favor of pears, given that the latter offer more stability. This year, the acreage devoted to Conference pears stands at around 400 hectares, compared to the 100 hectares dedicated to the cultivation of Reinette apples.
"Growers are looking for stability and security," says the technical director. Linares highlights that with apples, the risks and damage are much greater, since the fruit is more sensitive to adverse weather conditions. That also means that now that the pear yield has fallen so much, the prospects for apples are even more daunting, even though the season has yet to start.
Source: infobierzo.com
