The current market is looking pretty good for pears. “At least for those growers who were able to harvest favorable sizes, the prices are acceptable. The situation for smaller pears is a little more difficult due to the lack of irrigation. Despite this difference, general sales are running smoothly," says Kris Wouters from Fruithandel Wouters, a fruit trader from Belgium.
The QTee® pears have already sold out completely in the fruit shop. "Next week they will be completely done. At the beginning of the season, we were still afraid of poor sales," explains the trader. "People nowadays pay more attention to their spending and the club variations are often in the upper price segment. To our surprise, however, we managed to achieve similar prices as past years with the same quantities."
As far as the Conference goes, things are a little more difficult. Yet, Kris says there's not much to complain about, considering their competition. "All the destinations that we normally sell to are doing well. Italy is having a lot of problems with the hot weather. Moreover, there are a lot fewer pears from Spain, which is good for us. We actually have a bigger harvest than last year, so nothing big should actually happen. Last season it was looking good too, but then the war broke out, unfortunately. Now the sales have to remain smooth, or there will be a problem nonetheless. But at the moment it doesn't look too bad."
On the other hand, when looking at apples the situation is quite different. “The prices at which the apples are currently being sold are actually not justified. There are simply far too many apples on the market, which means that the next two months will be very busy. We hope that the situation will improve after New Year’s. A lot of fruit is still left hanging on the trees. In addition, due to the high cost of energy, less is being stored. This excess has flown into industry, for example. This may have resulted in lower quantities in the cold stores, which leads to fewer apples being on the market by the New Year. However, with the current state of the world, it's impossible to make accurate predictions.”
Other varieties conquer the Asian market
Kris has just returned from Thailand, where Fruithandel Wouters had a stand at Asia Fruit Logistica. “You only know how successful an exchange has been, when you secure good customers afterwards. Still, it was very interesting to talk to people from various Asian countries. It's a completely different world than here. While in Europe everything seems to go downhill, economically, the Asian market is expanding steadily. There's also a high emphasis on health, leading to an increase in popularity of fruit and vegetables. It was nice to gain an idea of different cultures, such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.”
With this in mind, the exporter is looking to the Asian market with great interest, as he sees significant potential. "It is not necessarily as obvious as people seem to think. I have found that there are very specific requirements for apples and pears. Often varieties are preferred, which are not always our first choice. QTee generally sells well in countries like China or Vietnam, but the russeting feel of a Conference variety doesn't meet the aesthetic requirements in Indonesia, for example. In China this was initially the case as well, but that has since reversed. In Vietnam on the other hand we are still in the early stages."
"On the other hand, the Envy from New Zealand is sold at high prices. An apple that is usually not very pretty in terms of color and presentation, but the taste meets the demands of the local consumers very well. After the last exchange,” Kris concluded, “I see that to conquer these markets, we have to grow other varieties that meet local demands.”
Naturally, the decision to take this step comes with risks. "If we want to grow something that's difficult to sell in Europe, we have to be sure that the Asian market remains accessible to us. We saw it with Russia; a market can suddenly disappear. It's also difficult to ensure reliable delivery with the current container transport. This is very expensive and can lead to delays. Exporting to the Asian market has many pitfalls. There is a lot of potential, but I personally do not dare to put all my eggs in that basket yet."
For more information:
Kris Wouters
Fruithandel Wouters
Kasteellaan 21
3454 Rummen
+32(0)475283696
kris@woutersfruit.be
www.woutersfruit.be