Production of the Rocha pear in Western Portugal will see a 50% decline, according to the Asociación Nacional de Productores (ANP) de Pera Rocha. This drop will likely cause a rise in market prices.
“Due to weather conditions, the pear is facing a bad year,” says the chairman of ANP. “We are looking at a 40 to 50% reduction compared to the previous year.” The reduced harvest is probably caused by low temperatures in April, making it hard for the flower to develop into fruit.
As opposed to last year, in which 210,000 tons of crop was shipped, this year’s harvest will be no higher than 100,000 tons. This will lead, not only to increased consumer prices, but also to uncertainty with producers concerning export and the international markets. Chief customers are England and Brazil, followed by France, Holland, Poland, Russia and North Africa.