This year's Belgian pear season has exceeded all expectations. "We had high hopes last season because of the small harvest, but things went wrong because of the Ukraine situation. There were significantly more pears in Europe this season, but as summer approaches, prices remain excellent. Even for the small sizes," begins Kris Wouters of Fruithandel Wouters.
The season is not over yet, but Kris dares call it a good one. "I think there are two reasons. One: Italy and partly Spain had far fewer pears due to the heat and drought reported in the harvest forecasts. Their pears were also much smaller than anticipated."
"And two: this year's Belgian Conference pears taste simply wonderful. If they taste this good, customers return faster for them than in bad pear years. Also, it stayed cold longer, positively affecting consumption and shelf life," Kris says.
Hardly any free pears
That means, even with current supplies, care must be taken to make it to the new season problem-free. "Traders have earmarked most of the available pears to meet supermarket programs. There are hardly any free pears at the moment, but if traders have correctly assessed their customers, I expect they'll be fine. That has led to unexpectedly high prices, though."
The pears are holding up well, quality-wise, too. "There are always inferior batches, as every year around this time. We had a hot, dry summer, so there was much concern that it would be far worse than it is. The quality's not too bad. Of course, there are always exceptions, but there are usually provable reasons for that. There are no unexpected problems," Kris explains.
South Africa going to China
He also sees little overseas competition at present. "Those are different (for example, red) varieties than Conference, but, also, countries like South Africa have discovered other markets where they can often get better prices. They've had access to the Chinese market since January. And seeing as by mid-season, they've already exported some 12,500 tons there, they seem to prefer the Asian market to the European one. That benefits us because there's more room for Belgian pears," Wouters says.
He dares not say anything with certainty about the new season's crop yet. "It does look like there will be no more frost. By mid-May, the risk of frost is usually gone, and this year, there's much less damage to the trees than last year. So, it seems we can look forward to a 'normal' harvest."
"However, it's almost certainly going to be a later season. Last year, we started picking around August 20; this year, it'll be at least September. This means the old crop has to last somewhat longer, though that does ensure the new pears will enter a clean, empty market," Kris concludes.
For more information:
Kris Wouters
Fruithandel Wouters
21 Kasteellaan
3454, Rummen, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 475 283 696
Email: kris@woutersfruit.be
Website: www.woutersfruit.be