Demand for Polish Gala apples is strong at this point of the year, which is not unusual, says Emilia Lewandowska, office manager for Fruit-Group: "At the moment, we have higher demand for Gala, especially for long shipments. This is a regular pattern every year: in October, we start exporting Gala for long shipments, and it slows down in March. Demand for apples is rising month by month. September was the lowest month; this was caused by the picking season across the entire European continent. We also had higher prices at the beginning of the season. We finished the old season with one of the highest prices of the last few seasons."
© Nick Peters | FreshPlaza.com
The Polish exporter is working hard to be prepared for every order that comes in, with stable supply being an important piece of the puzzle, Lewandowska explains. "We're focused on good quality, which means managing color, firmness, and russeting of the apples. It isn't a very tough challenge, but it is crucial for us to overcome it in order to achieve the best export quality. Another important factor is the stability of supply. After harvesting, we noticed that the supply slowed down in November. We hope that in the coming months the supply will be sufficient to meet current demand. For our long shipments, our apples are mostly being exported to India, Colombia, and Vietnam."
According to Lewandowska, the demand from the domestic market and export markets are not in each other's way: "It's hard to compare the exports to the domestic demand, as the domestic market requires different varieties and quality than long shipments. We need to remember that these apples spend 1–2 months in transit to distant markets, so firmness needs to be high. That is why prices for export varieties are slightly higher than those for the local market."
Lewandowska has seen the apple prices stabilize since October. "We started the season with high prices after finishing a very expensive end of the old season. That is why, from the beginning of September until October, prices fell. After that, we experienced stability and periods of slight price increases. I expect that after the New Year, demand and supply will be stable and balanced."
For more information:
Emilia Lewandowska
Fruit-Group SP.z.o.o.
Email: [email protected]
www.fruitgroup.pl
