It was a terrible harvest year, especially for the northern apple farmers. At the Hamburg wholesale market, the direct consequences of the late frosts are noticed daily, says Gerd Schuback, owner of the Erich Schuback fruit company. "Availability will be a big problem over the coming months. If this situation continues, we will not have any apples for sale by the end of March. Cox apples for example are barely available. The price of these apples is already 1,20 euros per kg. And it will certainly continue to climb until Christmas.”
Above all, Schuback supplies retailers such as weekly marketers and discounters. "Our main business is still focussed on domestic goods such as the Elstar. Then there remains a small amount of Italian products. The overseas goods from New Zealand are unfortunately also already gone."
The popularity of local Elstar apples is also confirmed by a recently published study by Destatis. With a total acreage of 6.700 hectares nationwide, compared to 2.800 and 2.400 hectares of Brauburns and Galas, the Elstar is clearly the top product of domestic producers. Today's storage facilities such as CA halls (controlled atmosphere) allow farmers to ensure the quality of the stored batches.
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