The Dutch top fruit season is entering its final phase. "It has been a good year. We might have hoped for a price increase for both apples and pears towards the end, but that now seems unlikely. I also don't expect any further price improvements and anticipate we will close the season at this level," says Wilbert van Wijk of Van Wijk Fruit from 't Goy.
"For the last Elstar apples, the price is holding steady, but the hoped-for increase is not materializing. However, I think we should all be satisfied with the prices achieved this year. If sales continue at this steady pace, the remaining volumes will be sold off nicely. We are a relatively small player, but with the fruit we have left, we can comfortably see out the season," continues the fruit grower. Van Wijk Fruit cultivates 25 hectares of Conference, Sweet Sensation, Elstar, and Jonagold apples, and operates a modern cold storage facility with 37 cells that can store over 4 million kilos of fruit in total.
"We are pleased with the quality of the fruit coming out of storage. We were particularly concerned about the Elstar apples because temperatures exceeded 30 degrees during harvest. But major issues were avoided, and the firmness remained reasonably good. However, you notice that once the fruit is out of the cell, it should not be left too long before selling as its firmness quickly diminishes," Wilbert continues. "I also find the quality of the pears to be good. Here and there you might find a small blemish, but certainly nothing alarming."
"The challenge will be to maintain these prices in the coming years. Production costs have visibly increased, and we will need this level in the coming years to continue growing good fruit and to build a buffer for when times get tough," Wilbert adds.
Work in the orchard for the new season is in full swing. "We have to make good use of the dry spells. At the start of the season, in April, we experienced hail, and I'm curious to see what effect this will have on the new season. The shedding in pears is significant. I am least worried about the Conference variety, and the apples also seem to be doing well. I don't expect a very large Conference harvest, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a negative," concludes Wilbert.
For more information
Wilbert van Wijk
Van Wijk Fruit
Beusichemseweg 134a
3997 ML 't Goy
Tel: 030 601 26 76
[email protected]
www.vanwijkfruit.nl