"After the traditional dip in late September and early October, the pear market is now starting to show a slight upward trend," says Christophe Van Haelst of VHM Fruit Trade. "We haven't really had any problems with sales, but at the start everyone wants the first pears, and then people often buy a bit too much. Consumption doesn't quite catch up at that point, so sales slow down for a while."
© VHM Fruit Trade
"That always causes some price pressure shortly after the harvest, but it's more or less the same every year," the grower and trader continues. He adds that this year, there were some challenges in getting the pears off the trees in time, which meant extra volumes had to be sold quickly. "Indeed, a lot of fruit came onto the market at the same time this year, which again put some pressure on prices. That's understandable, as many other fruits are available at that time, and there's also a supply from other countries. But now that the summer fruit is starting to run out and countries with smaller harvests are again in greater need of imported pears, demand is clearly rising, and prices are picking up slightly."
Not like last season
This demand is coming from various markets. "We certainly can't complain. Demand is currently very good across almost all of Europe, but also beyond, as far as Asia. It was even a bit too high for a while to keep up with all the requests. At the moment, all sorting companies are running at full capacity, and we're managing again. Sometimes we still have to slow down supply to regular customers because we're running at maximum capacity. Not every grower wants to pack right now; some prefer to wait and see how prices develop, to avoid a repeat of last year when they missed the peak. As a result, supply from growers has been temporarily limited, but we're working at 200 per cent to meet demand, and most growers have now started packing in full."
© Van Haelst Fruit
A sharp price spike like last season's is unlikely this year, Christophe says. "In terms of pricing, the season will probably not resemble last year, especially toward the end. Something extraordinary would have to happen for that. Prices are currently at a reasonable level and could rise a bit more. Many growers are holding on to their pears in case prices return to last season's highs, as costs have already been incurred. But whether another 15 cents will be added in February, March, or April seems unlikely. I don't see it getting as wild as last year. The sorting companies are running at full speed, and growers who sell directly from the tree are the winners right now."
Quality differences
The trader from Verrebroek, Flanders, is also satisfied with the quality in storage. "Most pears are of excellent quality, so we have no worries there. However, we do notice some quality differences due to the weather. On 7 September, we had an exceptionally hot day, and pears picked after that, between 8 and 14 September, were actually harvested too late. These need to be sold by mid-November at the latest, otherwise there's a risk of quality loss, which could ultimately put pressure on the market again."
For this reason, VHM Fruit Trade, which is increasingly focused on the Asian market under its Deliscala brand, pays close attention to which pears are sent to which destinations. "Only the top-quality fruit is shipped to Asia. Pears picked after 3 or 4 September can't go there, the transport time is simply too long."
For more information:
Christophe Van Haelst
Van Haelst Fruit / VHM Fruit Trade
Kieldrechtsebaan 85
BE-9130 Verrebroek, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 3 336 16 47
[email protected]
www.vanhaelstfruit.be
