"Things are still going brilliantly," confirms Tony Derwael of Bel'Export, describing a successful pear season. "There's really no pressure on the market, not at any point this year. Additionally, the pears are in relatively few hands. When the fruit is widely distributed, you end up with too many suppliers, which can push prices down, but that hasn't been the case this year," says the satisfied trader from Borgloon, Flanders.
According to Tony, demand remains strong despite the higher prices. "Prices may be up, I see pears in the supermarket for €2.50 to €3, but it's less noticeable because other products are also expensive. People are paying €3.50 for peaches and nectarines, so they're willing to pay a bit more for pears too."
He therefore expects stocks to be depleted by the time the new season begins. "Stocks of both apples and pears have been significantly lower over the past two months. In previous years, we sometimes had pears available until September or October, but that definitely won't be the case this year. We'll be sold out by August, so the new crop will arrive on an empty market, which should translate to good prices for the new season. After that, of course, it depends on how the trade develops. Usually, higher prices mean lower volumes sold, but I don't expect that to be an issue with pears. The crop won't be larger than last season, and demand will remain strong. Besides, the quality of both apples and pears looks excellent."
20 per cent more apples
"We are clearly going to have more apples," Tony continues. "I estimate around 20 per cent more than last year in Belgium. Last year, the trees had time to rest, which helped them form strong buds; they blossomed well, and we now have a top harvest ahead. Where yields averaged 30 tons last year, I expect around 60 tons or even more this time. It's part of the natural cycle—some years are lower, others higher—but this is a substantial increase."
Is that a good thing? "In terms of kilos, yes. But as traders, we always prefer a demand-driven market. Doubling the price and halving the volume is better than doubling the volume and halving the price. Some parts of Europe are seeing lower yields, especially in countries like Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania. But those serve different markets than we do. Turkey, for instance, exports to Russia, which is, of course, inaccessible to us due to sanctions. Still, we'll need to find export markets beyond Belgium for the upcoming season."
For more information:
Tony Derwael
Bel'Export
Neremstraat 2
3840 Borgloon - Belgium
Tel +32 12 440 551
[email protected]
www.belexport.com