Belgium-based pear producer Belgische Fruitveiling (BFV) has confirmed that there has been a 20 per cent decline in current pearvolumes.
The supplier, which controls 50 per cent of Belgium's pear production and is the biggest supplier of Conference pears worldwide, also admitted that higher shipping rates have negatively impacted on business.
Speaking exclusively to Eurofruit at last week's Fruit Logistica exhibition in Berlin, BFV's business development manager Marc Evrard revealed that pear prices have doubled in recent months.
'Prices have doubled, which is bad for consumers, and an increase in shipping rates from the likes of Maersk has led to a decline in volume as well,' he said.
'However, the price inflation is good news for growers who are still recovering from a difficult year due to the weather.'
