Annual consolidated crop forecasts for the forthcoming Southern Hemisphere apple and pear seasons have been published by the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA).
Collected from industry groups in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa, the statistics show that the Southern Hemisphere apple crop is expected to reach 5.19m tonnes this year, an increase of 4.1 per cent on last year's figure.
Export volumes for Southern Hemisphere apples are forecast at 1.75m tonnes, an increase of 3.4 per cent compared with last year.
Pear production in the region meanwhile is forecast to reach 1.55m tonnes, described by the organisation as a 'significant increase' equal to 9.4 per cent.
However, it suggested that pear exports from the Southern Hemisphere should experience a decrease of around 9.7 per cent compared with 2008, falling to 674,400 tonnes, mainly due to a decrease in shipments from leading export country Argentina.
Following discussions of the upcoming Southern Hemisphere crop, the association also gave its assessment of the current market situation in the Northern Hemisphere.
According to the latest crop updates, apple volumes are understood to be higher than previously estimated both in the EU and the US.
As at 1 January 2009, European apple and pear stocks stood at 3.6m tonnes and 411,000 tonnes respectively, representing a year-on-year increase of 12 per cent for apples and a sharp annual decrease of 24 per cent for pears.
Apple stocks in the US were also reported to be considerably higher at 1.7m tonnes – 22 per cent higher than at the same time last year – while pear volumes were only slightly up at 173,400 tonnes (+2 per cent).
The forecasts and market figures were published at the recent Fruit Logistica fair in Berlin during WAPA's annual general meeting on 6 February 2009.
Attended by representatives from all of the world's leading apple and pear producing and exporting countries, the February summit is now a key date in the WAPA members' calendar, providing a valuable opportunity for discussion of recent and expected global developments in the international apple and pear sector.
During the meeting, WAPA elected Alessandro Dalpiaz of Italian association Assomela as its new president for the next two years. Mr Dalpiaz takes over from Pierre Peres of ABPM, Brazil. Kevin Moffitt of USA Pears was elected vice-president of the association.
After the meeting, Philippe Binard, secretary general of WAPA, commented: “The collation of these comprehensive statistics has hitherto provided sound information from the Southern Hemisphere, complementing in a similar format the data already existing for the Northern Hemisphere production.”
Outgoing president Pierre Peres and his successor Alessandro Dalpiaz both underlined the benefit of consolidated information, in particular at a time of market uncertainties, stating jointly: “The forecast production and exports in the Southern Hemisphere, the revised production data and higher stock levels in the Northern Hemisphere, the concerns of the impact of the world economic situation on the demand, the consequences on trade of currency devaluation in important markets such as Russia and the UK, are some key parameters that could significantly influence the apple and pear markets in the coming months.'
A press map with overview tables of Southern Hemisphere crop forecasts and final Northern Hemisphere crop forecasts is available to download here: WAPA press map
