France is expecting an apple crop with excellent colour and crunch, thanks to perfect summer weather into August, according to leading grower-shipper Blue Whale.
The only slight worry is an 8-10 day delay to harvesting compared to the last two seasons, said the export director Marc Peyres.
Small volumes of Gala were dispatched in early August for the Middle East, but significant volumes will not come on stream until the end of August.
“We are ready for the start of our main season with a fair bit of optimism,” said Peyres, speaking in early August.
Most European apple-producing countries are expecting a later start to their harvests this year after a mild January then cold March, which delayed blossoming, he said.
In northern and western Europe, a cooler-than-normal summer is believed to be pushing harvest dates back further.
“For Blue Whale in France, it’s mainly Gala which is later than usual, which isn’t too serious a problem in terms of the market,' said Peyres.“Only the Middle East is in a hurry for apples. But neither France nor Italy can get product to them any earlier.”
Over in south-eastern France, Daniel Corbel, managing director of apple grower-shipper Cardell Export, echoes Peyres’ view.
“We have a good apple crop, but around one week’s delay compared to last year,” he said, adding that Provence’s blissful hot summers don’t hurt the fruit thanks to orchards’ irrigation systems.
