"Netherlands: "Quick pear sales: sales of apples still distressing"

Javri Fruit from Geldermalsen specialised in the import and export of top fruit. According to Jan de Vries sales of apples are distressing. "The sales of Elstar are reasonable, but Jonagold is really a problem child. There are of course parcels which have a good colour. I have no idea how large the stocks of apples are, but the export during the last few weeks was low. Prices for first class Jonagold and Golden Delicious are between 35 and 45 cents."

"The demand for pears is good on the other hand. Eastern Europe and the United Kingdom do well, but also more pears are exported to France each year," according to Jan. "Russia these days more or less controls the pear market. The 'problem' is that more and more capital goes to Russia and we have become a bit more careful with this. That lesson we learned in the past."

The owner of Javri Fruit speaks about good prices for Conference pears:

fifties: 35 cents, fifty fives: 47 cents, sixties: 50 cents, sixty fives: 55 cents, seventies : 60 cents and seventy fives: 62 cents. "I hope that supply will not increase too much, because then prices will remain at this level or increase slightly. Most pears are in the hands of the trade and not in these of the growers."

For more information:
Jan de Vries
Javri Fruit
42, Poppenbouwing
4191 NZ Geldermalsen
Tel.: 0031 345 58 20 99
Fax: 0031 345 58 26 30
www.javrifruit.nl