The top fruit season seems to be the opposite of last year in every way. The prices have been good since the start and are remaining at a good level. There are less volumes, and growers and traders look towards this year positively. Luc Bels, a fruit grower from Sint-Truiden, says they 'have nothing to complain about'. "The pears are all in now, and stored in the coldstore. The apples are still being picked and at the moment the varieties Jonagold, Kanzi, Pinova and Evelina are being harvested."
"At the moment the market is going very well," he indicates. "This has been the case since the start and is keeping up. The prices of apples and pears are better than last year. The Conference, for instance, is at a level of 60 to 90 cents, depending on quality and calibre. You can see that there is less production in the whole of Europe, although the supply in Sint-Truiden is quite high. The decrease in production for apples was predicted to be lower, but we can see that less is being picked. These prices also look good."
"I expect the good prices to hold up for a while. If everything is stored well and is tuned into the market right, it will be a good season," concludes Luc.