EUROPE:
When looking at the market situation, one must consider the cold wave that could affect sales.
Pear: Strong competition among local pears, mainly Abate and Conference, with more or less active sales and low prices, way inferior to the last season. From the Southern Hemisphere the offer is reduced, with South Africa being for now the only presence, with wholesale prices in dollars being adjusted regarding last week but being inferior to last year in about 10%.
Apple: Sales until now are active and above the ones made in previous years, specially for some varieties like Gala, Elstar, Pink Lady and to a lesser extent, the Red variety, while for the other varieties everything is going slower. Wholesale prices are somewhat inferior to the ones in 2011 but above 2010 prices.
UNITED STATES:
Pear: Pear kept going to Chile, with stable import prices last week that were somewhat inferior to previous years. Wholesale prices for Chilean pear is similar to 2011. Wholesale prices for the local pear have a slight drop comparing to the previous week and in general are lower than in 2011. Consumer prices are also inferior to 2011.
Apple: The stock on the 1st of February was 4% superior to last year. Wholesale prices for the local apples have shown a slight drop over the previous week, being superior to the one in 2011. A drop in consumer prices was also felt, but it remains higher than in 2011.
Source: SEF