After last year’s difficult season when severe frosts slashed apple yields and limited pear sizes, Belgium’s topfruit growers are feeling optimistic about the deal ahead.
Growing conditions – so far – for both fruits have been good, producers told Fruitnet; leading many to forecast a “normal” harvest in terms of quantity, quality and sizes.
The unusually hot, dry weather gripping the country, and much of northern Europe, since the latter part of June is not troubling Belgian producers, who note that, while they’d welcome some rain, most apple orchards are irrigated.
Belgian Conference pears, meanwhile, are grown on loam soil, which retains moisture even in dry conditions, explains Miguel Demaeght of BelOrta, Belgium’s fruit and vegetable grower cooperative, and also contributes to the fruit’s superior taste.
This early summer heatwave may bring pear and apple harvesting forward, he notes; although anything could happen between now and the usual end of August start-date.
“Up to now, all looks good,” says Demaeght. “First we harvest pears, followed by early apple varieties. In pears, we anticipate good sizes, including the 60mm, 65mm and 70mm specifications preferred in Asia.
“For apples, we will only know towards the end of the growing season about sizes. But, up to now, growers are happy with how fruit is developing.”
Tony Derwael of fellow grower-marketer BelExport agrees: “Compared with last season, we are optimistic about the volumes and specially about the quality,” he says. “Because of frost damage at the end of April 2017 we lost more than 20 per cent of our crop and we had a lot of internal and external quality problems.
“This season looks very promising for our main variety Conference on internal quality, but as specially on external quality,” Derwael adds. “Because of the nice weather during the springtime, we have a very green and clean skin without russeting, which is preferred by our new markets like China, India and Brazil.”
