The first South African pears for OV Fruit are back on the water. The importer will receive a full pear range from South Africa this season, including the varieties Williams BC, Williams BC blushed, Sempre, Rosemarie, Vermont Beauty, Forelle, Cape Rose, Cheeky, Abate Fetel, Beurre Bosc, Packham's, and CA.
"The first arrivals are slightly later than expected; only the Cheeky and Abate pears will arrive a bit earlier this year," says Victor van Turenhout. "The harvest in South Africa is 3-4% higher this year, but we expect pears to arrive in a fairly balanced market. Although the pear harvest is somewhat higher on the western side of Europe, there has been significant frost damage in the east. Turkey, Greece, and also Italy, for instance, have considerably fewer pears, which creates opportunities for overseas pears."
© OV Fruit
Forelle and Packhams
A trend in recent years, according to the importer, is that demand for coloured pears continues to grow. "We see this worldwide; in particular, the ethnic consumer group prefers coloured pears," says Victor. "With a wide range of pears, we can differentiate ourselves well in the market."
The first supply of South African pears was delayed due to the wind at the port of Cape Town. "For now, those issues have fortunately been resolved. The next question is how quickly throughput will move at the port of Rotterdam, as container handling there has also not been running smoothly in recent weeks. Diverting to other ports is an option, but that also brings its own challenges," Victor says.
© OV Fruit
Depending on market conditions, OV Fruit offers South African pears until June or July. "In addition to South Africa, we also supply Argentine pears, such as Packham and Anjou, but that season starts later for us. In Argentina, local demand is currently very strong, and, in addition, customers in the U.S. are paying high prices. As a result, imports are not attractive at the moment."
The importer is leaving the import of South African apples aside for now. "Apples are available from South Africa, but because the Dutch apple supply is quite substantial this year and prices are under pressure, importing is not yet interesting for us," Victor says. "We do expect Royal Gala and Fuji from Brazil later this year, but not until April."
© OV FruitFor more information:
Victor van Turenhout
OV Fruit
Tel: +31 (0) 6 199 446 14
[email protected]
www.ovfruit.nl
