Forecasts says Argentine top-fruit production will drop by five per cent to 1.75 million tonnes next season.
Within the top-fruit portfolio, apples are predicted to experience a 15 per cent fall on last year’s 1.2mt, to around 1mt in 2006-7. This is due in the main to extensive hail damage during blossom.
Of more interest to the UK market, however, is the change to pear volumes, which are predicted to hike by around 10 per cent from 640,000t to 710,000t.
Export volume is projected to drop to 600,000t way below the 2005 record figure of 714,000. Pear exports are expected to fall 10 per cent to 400,000t as growers struggle with quality.
In 2005-6, pear exports totalled 441,000t and were valued at US$209m. Organic fruit was the success story of last season as certified fruit more than doubled its normal premium due to lack of supply at international level.
