Good demand for Washington tree fruit has left low stocks of fruit in storage, something which bodes well for imports coming from Argentina. With demand for fruit holding strong, apple and pear imports coming online in the next few months look to command a good price.According to Addie Pobst of CF Fresh, their import program begins this year with Bartlett pears from Argentina.
“This week, harvest will begin for Bartlett pears in Argentina,” she says, “so we expect to receive that fruit by about mid-February. Following that, we expect apples to come in during the first part of March.”
She reports that expected volumes for CF Fresh are 20,000 to 30,000 boxes of pears, a slight increase from last year, and 400,000 boxes for the entire import program. A reason she cites for the uptick in volume is the economic situation in Europe.
“The European market is having an effect on the number of imports coming to the United States,” she says.
“Clients in the UK and in Europe have not had the demand they're used to seeing, and that's partly to do with the economic trouble in Europe,” she adds.
Quality of imported fruit looks to be good with no wind-scarring, though sizing for apples is anticipated to be smaller due to a heat wave which has hit the Rio Negro growing region.
The timing of the domestic apple season in Washington, according to Pobst, led to increased demand, which in turn has resulted in little fruit in storage.
“We had a normal-sized crop,” she notes, “but the timing resulted in a late harvest, so we had a very hungry market.”
With a good supply of imported fruit and strong demand, she anticipates good, but stable prices.
“We probably won't see the price peaks we encountered in 2007,” she says, “but we should see a strong market that's fair for consumers but also good for suppliers.”
For more information:
Addie Pobst
CF Fresh, Inc.
Tel: +1 360-855-3195
[email protected]
www.vivatierra.com
For more information:
Addie Pobst
CF Fresh, Inc.
Tel: +1 360-855-3195
[email protected]
www.vivatierra.com