"When it comes to pears, all the varieties have excellent quality," begins Marc Evrard, the Belgische Fruitveiling's (BFV) commercial director. Half of Belgium's fruit growers, including top fruit growers, are affiliated with this cooperative. That makes it that country's largest fruit growers' organization. "The market should be stable, with good quality pears and good demand in all sales markets."
Marc Evrard
Due to the abundant rain, the pears are sized differently from last year. There are more larger pears available. "Last season, we had a surplus of smaller calibers. That's not the case at present. That means the bottom in the market is more solid, with higher prices." Marc admits the pear harvest is smaller. But, in late September, he thought it too soon to draw any conclusions even though fewer pears are expected to be harvested this year.
Marc recalls that last year's Dutch and Belgian pear harvests were at a record high. "It wouldn't even be an especially big problem if we were to have 15 to 20% less. Not if we factor in last year's surplus of hard-to-sell pears (particularly sizes 45-50 and 50-55). You can subtract that from his year's total production. Then there's relatively little difference in marketable pears compared to last year."
He says mid-sized prices are starting considerably better than a year ago. It seems the pears will mainly find their way within Europe. However, the commercial director does not want to lose sight of markets elsewhere. "We've made strategic investments in developing new overseas markets. There's less of a need to go further afield this season. But, we'll continue to support our overseas partners to ensure continuity for all parties involved," continues Evrard.
Balance
"The apple season got off to a strong start, with excellent quality. All the summer varieties fared well." This year, in Europe, the harvest is much larger than last season, so the market still needs to balance out somewhat. "Northern Europe is more balanced than Eastern Europe," says Marc. Apples are increasingly being grown outside the European Union, and competition from Eastern Europe is becoming fiercer. "We'll have to see how we can balance things out once that full production comes onto the market."
He nevertheless continues to see opportunities for apple growing in Northern Europe. If only because in both Belgium and the Netherlands, apple farming is strongly focused on domestic sales. The increasing club varieties acreage plays a role too. For example, aside from the Belgica and Joly Red club varieties, BFV has invested in Morgana. Marc sees much potential for this apple in the domestic market.
He points out that the club varieties' success makes the market less dependent on the apple supply from Eastern Europe or overseas. "It ensures that in addition to the well-known apple varieties, we can offer other regionally-cultivated varieties. That lets consumers diversify within the regional supply. The varieties we've chosen allow us to offer a nice addition, both for growers and shoppers," Marc says.
Professionalization
There are ongoing challenges, but Marc also sees opportunities for the top fruit sector. He thinks further professionalization of cultivation and marketing is an important factor. That can be by, say, replacing old trees with new varieties. Diversification can contribute to the future. That can be done by using the opportunities tree fruits - apples and pears, but also, for instance, cherries or plums - generally offer.
Market development is another aspect. Marc cites Germany as an example. Ten years ago, Conference pears were still unknown there. Thanks to Belgium and the Netherlands' joint promotion, it has become Germany's most widely-eaten pear. With the Conference and Doyenné du Comice varieties, Belgium and the Netherlands have a structural advantage over other pear-growing countries.
"Our growers can cultivate those varieties very efficiently, with much higher productivity than those in other countries. We also face climate challenges, but they're not as great as in, say, Italy. Conference pears, in particular, are increasingly becoming a global variety," Marc concludes.
For more information:
Marc Evrard
Belgische Fruitveiling
800 Montenakenweg
3800, St Truiden, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 116 93 411
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.bfv.be
