At Gustav Wegener u. Sohn GmbH u. Co. KG in the heart of the Alte Land, the marketing season for overseas pears is now in full swing. "We have already finished the season of Williams Bon Chretien as well as red early pears, at the moment we are marketing mainly Abate Fetel and Trout from South Africa as well as Chile and Packham's from South Africa," describes Malte Wegener, buyer and seller at the company.
Especially in the area of red pears, demand is particularly high this year and the available quantity is relatively low, he says. "On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that part of the quantity has been hailed in South Africa. Secondly, the Chinese market is establishing itself as extremely receptive to red pears from South Africa this year, which is why less volume is being shipped toward Europe. Europe simply cannot compete with the prices paid on the Chinese market," Wegener continues.
Malte Wegener at the sorting center.
In addition, the war in Ukraine and the resulting inflation and buying restraint have led to a slump in volumes of overseas pome fruit. Says Wegener, "Unlike vegetables, an apple or pear is not part of our daily requirements. What has also played a part is that a lot of overseas goods for the Russian market have been unloaded in Rotterdam, these surpluses have affected the market accordingly. This, in turn, has led to the food retail sector being particularly cautious this year and adjusting to 2022 purchase volumes with a view to the programs. Accordingly, we are now seeing a firm, steady marketing situation, with overseas pome fruit being extremely sought after, particularly on the spot market."
Late start on Pink Lady imports
The first, red early pears were loaded in week 8, followed by Abate Fetel in week 12. "The start of the season was almost the same as last year and overseas pears can usually be offered until the end of August," says Wegener, describing the season's progress. Meanwhile, marketing of overseas apples is also picking up speed. Parallel to the end of the season for German Gala apples, the first South African batches have now arrived, closely followed by New Zealand imports. "German Braeburn will run out by week 20-21, after which we can start seamlessly with South African and New Zealand imports. Chile is now only a supplementary character with us, especially Pink Lady and Granny Smith."
Due to the abundant stocks in Europe, the import campaign for Pink Lady from overseas will not start rolling until late June-early July, Wegener expects. "Because of the high quality, we are relying on New Zealand in particular for this variety. According to initial information, there will be losses of up to 25 percent in some places due to the flooding in March. Whether and to what extent the flood, affected the quality of the goods, will be seen in the course of the season."
Wellant and Junami: the apples of tomorrow?
With Wellant and Junami, the Wegener company nowadays offers two promising apple varieties from the surrounding growing area. "In the case of Junami, we are acting as exclusive marketer on the German market together with Faby Frucht. We have now sold about 60 to 65 percent of the volume. Wellant is becoming increasingly popular with consumers, which is why the cultivation volume in the Alte Land has been massively expanded. We are also finding that the variety is gaining increasing acceptance outside Lower Saxony, which is not a given in today's cut-throat competition and carousel of varieties. At the moment, we have sold about half of our harvest, which means that marketing would have to be accelerated a bit. Unfortunately, inflation is making itself felt in club apples this year," concludes Wegener.
Further Information:
Malte Wegener
Gustav Wegener u. Sohn GmbH u. Co. KG
Buxtehuder Straße 50 - 52
21635 Jork
Telefon: +49 4162 9145-0
Telefax: +49 4162 9145-45
E-Mail: info@wegener-frucht.de
www.wegener-frucht.de