The French Agriculture Ministry published a report this week, stating that apple and pear production in the country was as much as 25% lower than last year. The regions Centre and Rhône-Alpes are affected the most, with a fall in production of 52% and 42% respectively. The apple production of 2012 was the lowest in 10 years, with an estimated tonnage of 1,391,000 tons. The production of this year was 23% lower compared to the five-year average.
Dutch importers indicate that the French are very reluctant to provide information about the hard fruit harvest. "They like to keep prices high and there is much uncertainty in the market. There is still a big demand for French apples. Good brands like Royal Gala have been selling for around 20 Euro for quite some time now, while lesser brands go for around 18 Euro. The same prices go for Granny Smith apples. There are definitely not a lot of red apples. That is why I expect that prices will hold, if not increase further."