Belgium will have the third largest crop of pears in Europe this season thanks to an increase in volumes while other countries’ see their harvests fall.
Overall the European pear crop remains broadly in line with last year’s volumes at a forecast 2.5 million tonnes, according to Eurofel figures released last month. But a statement from the Belgian auctions reveals that Belgium’s crop is forecast to increase by 13 per cent.
The upturn can be attributed to several factors. Heavy investment in irrigation systems, particularly in orchards established on sandy soil, meant the July heatwave was not as damaging as it might have been. Belgian growers have also been adopting a systematic approach to thinning so that fruit formation is more effective and fruit loss is diminished.
Production area has also increased in the last few years with growers encouraged to invest in new plantings given strong prices for their product. Consequently, this year’s Belgian pear crop is forecast by the Flandria quality label to increase to 259,000 tonnes. Conference will account for the lion’s share of production at 87 per cent and Belgium will therefore supply almost a third of the entire European crop of this variety.
Produce marketed under the Flandria label is likely to increase to 15 per cent from 13 per cent and branding will be ramped up. “At the moment about 20 per cent of the Flandria crop is stickered,” said Filiep Callewaert, md of the Profruco fruit auction in Sint-Niklaas. “But we’re palnning to invest in machinery to automate the process to increase that volume.”
He also forecasts smaller fruit sizing across all varieties this season. “Fruit trees started blossoming two weeks later than usual,” he said. “The summer surge in growth did not completely make up for this delay to the start of the season. The summer weather also gave a real boost to the quality of the fruit - the July heat ensured extremely high sugar levels, while the August rain was ideal for ripening. We can expect smaller, juicier and sweeter fruit.” This also bodes well for storage quality.
