"Fewer Corina pears available"

The Corina, the early ripening mutant of the Conference pear, is a few days later than usual for the second year in a row. "The pear will be available on Monday 15 August," says Tone Derwael from Bel'Export. Bel'Export and LTV are two distributors of this early pear variety that has been available commercially for the past 7 years. He looks forward to the season and is positive about the top fruit season. "We have had some difficult years. Let's hope that this season will be better."

Corina pear

Last year almost 2000 tons were produced. "This year we expect about 400 tons fewer Corina pears. The main cause for the production drop is a large shed due to the cool weather and the hailstorms." Tony emphasizes that it is important for an early variety to sell it as soon as possible. "Too bad that we are later this year. We only have a few weeks until the 'normal' Conference is available. As soon as that one is on the market, the Corina has no extra value."

Temporarily no extension
The expectations are positive. "We still expect a good market for the Corina. We are not planning to enlarge the acreage; it remains a niche product. We expect to harvest about 2,500 tons in a normal year if everything goes as planned and for now this volume is sufficient, unless a new large market pops up." The most important customer is the United Kingdom, which takes about 80%. The rest is mainly sold in Belgium.

For more information:
Tony Derwael
Bel'Export
Neremstraat 2
3840 Borgloon (Belgium)
Tel +32 12 440 551
www.belexport.com