Thanks to one of the best European summers on record, the quality of Dutch apples and pears is reported by The Greenery to be exceptional. This year the principal varieties of apples grown in the Netherlands are Elstar, popular because of its good flavour and crisp, juicy, eating characteristics, and Jonagold, a large, sweet apple with a rich flavour. Cox's Orange Pippin is the main apple variety exported from The Netherlands to the UK.
Nick Scrase, managing director of the Greenery UK, says: “We know that UK retailers are spoilt for choice when it comes to apples, even in summers as good as the one that we have just enjoyed, but we hope that those in the know will value the quality of our fruits this year and appreciate that consumers will pay for the best.
“When it comes to pears, those consumers that are established purchasers of this type of fruit will seek out the tastiest and juiciest fruit ñ and it is in these areas that Dutch growers have surpassed themselves.”
Dutch pears represent nearly 40 per cent of the imports into the UK, and this year The Greenery's focus will principally be on Conference pears ñ the most popular variety among UK consumers, as well as Doyenné du Comice, described as the ëmelt in the mouth' pear for those consumers who like a high juice content and a sweet flavour.
Edwin De Wit, commercial director at Van Doorn International, is delighted with the quality of the Dutch pear crop this year. He says: “There were initial concerns with the hot weather, but we have seen high sugar levels in the fruit and quality is good. We worried that the high temperatures may cause sizing problems but this has not been the case.”
Belgian pears have also been exceeding expectations in both quality and volume. Vlam's Leen Guffens explains: “We have 15 per cent more pears than expected, and Conference pears are doing particularly well. As the produce is smaller than usual and the quality is promising, we see good opportunities for the UK market. We have also achieved good skin quality in combination with a high sugar content which gives us the possibility of long storage.”
Both internal and external quality have been good for pears says Koen Vanherck from Belgian-based Bel ëExport. Vanherck explains that this summer's good sunshine has meant that sugar levels are higher than normal ñ a factor that guarantees good flavour. “In general there was some partial hail and frost damage, but compared to Italy and Spain, Belgian production was spared the worst,” he confirms. “This season is the Belgian pear sector's equivalent of a good vintage.”
Guffens agrees: “Until now, we haven't see any visible effects of the hot, dry summer. The fruits are a bit smaller than last year, but we have only seen the positive effects of better quality in terms of taste, colour and firmness. Another positive aspect is that there has only been a small amount of hail in comparison with other growing seasons.”
Conference pears still make up 80 per cent of the pear crop, says Vanherck, while other varieties such as Comice, Beurre Hardy and Durando are mainly grown for the internal market and have become less important for the UK.
“Conference volumes will continue to rise in the year to come, as growers and marketers recognise the variety's eating and storage qualities,” Vanherck predicts. “Belgian producers are increasingly turning away from apple production and into pear cultivation.”
In view of a depleted European crop, the export of Belgian Conference pears represents a good opportunity, says Vanherck. “European pear volumes are forecast to be down by nine per cent compared to last year so Belgian producers can expect strong demand and high prices for their product.”
Bel Export expects to export around 24,000 tonnes of top fruit this season to the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Singapore, France, Russia, Poland, Germany and Scandinavia.
“Lower volumes in Italy and Spain present us with a good opportunity for export,” he continues. “In 2002, Belgium exported 149,966 tonnes of pears worth e134 million and 391,188t of apples worth e212m. This year sendings are expected to be lower due to a smaller crop.
“Prognosfruit figures have set total Belgian pear yields at 142,000t, 18 per cent down on last year, and Conference volumes at 131,000t, three per cent lower than 2002. But we predict that marketable Conference volumes could drop by as much as 25 per cent as a result of the small sizes caused by hot dry weather in July and August. Belgian pear sizes will be 5mm smaller than last year.”
De Wit states that Van Doorn is looking to continue to expand its export market. “We have seen pleasing volumes of Conference and Comice,” he says. “Our main markets for export are the UK, Scandinavia, France and Spain and we are steadily growing our export levels year-on-year. Germany is a relatively new market, which we are also looking to grow. We are also trialing two new varieties at the moment and we are hoping that these will enter the market in forthcoming years. At the moment the new varieties are looking good but we do not have adequate volumes.”
Apples are the most-eaten fruit in the UK, according to The Greenery, and while consumers like to sample new varieties, Elstar and Jonagold have not yet been tried by all UK consumers. Still, says Guffens, Jonagold remains the most important variety, with Jonagored a good second player winning a lot of market share in Russia. “In general a lot of standard Jonagolds are being replaced by dark varieties like Jonagored and Decosta,” she continues. “Some growers even replace them with Golden or Conference pears. Other apple varieties are Golden Reinders, Elstar and Boskoop.” Vanherck has noticed a trend of replacing older varieties such as Jongaold with more recent cultivars such as Braeburn, Gala and Greenstar.”
Although the apple might be an ancient fruit, it is vital that producers take a modern approach to supply. “The research stations and the auctions are always looking for new varieties to broaden the offer,” says Guffens. “It is vital to meet the demands of the consumers. In the Haspengouw auction for example, Pinova is in its third year and has a harvest of about 300t. The variety Greenstar is in its first production year and Cameo trees have just been planted.”
But the main concern is always quality. “Weather aspects can vary a lot and are impossible to forecast,” Guffens says. “We are always searching for the right varieties that can deliver tasty products but which are also promising for the retailers.
“Quality is the most important issue for every single element of the production chain. At the point of choosing new varieties the taste is of course the main reason to select an item although shelf-life and storage are also important. A tasty apple that cannot be held well, doesn't give the guarantee that it is still tasty when it goes to the consumers. In the selection process of new varieties, it's natural to have to keep in mind our specific climate and soil types too.”
New varieties are important but Belgian growers are also placing much more emphasis on integrated production methods (IPM) with rising numbers of producers working towards EurepGAP certification.
“This is even more important for Bel ëExport since it is a grower and a packer as well as an export company,” says Vanherck. “The production department as well as the packing station are HACCP, ISO 9002, EurepGAP and as of 2003, ISA/BRC certified. We started with integrated pest management in 1992, signifying a firm commitment to our future development. And we strongly believe that the investment of approximately £100,000 will prepare us for BRC certification will further enhance the marketability of our quality produce.
“Traceability, continuity and quality care will become even more important than in the past. We are convinced that our recent investments will adequately prepare us for the next challenge.”
Production with concern for the environment has also been highlighted by Belgian producers. “From 2003, the book of specifications of the auctions for “planet-friendly growing” has the same status as the label of the government for integrated production (IP), based on the specifications of environmentally- minded cultivation and controlled by external control bodies. In Veiling Borgloon for example, around 98 per cent of the offered amount is under this label. At BFV, 90 per cent of the fruit-production is integrated production. This is only possible thanks to the large efforts of our growers and the auctions. Five years ago, we started with the label “planet-friendly growing” and each year, the conditions were made harder so that we reached the governmental level after five years of hard working. We think this is the only economically possible answer to the ecological problems. The label of planet-friendly growing is visualised by our Green Arch. Our communication with the yellow butterfly on a blade of grass stresses the efforts of our growers to achieve this high quality of products.
More and more EurepGAP producers are also involved.”
With Conference pears in mind, Bel Export has invested £850,000 in a new controlled atmosphere cold storage facility, based on the latest technology using GLYCOL. Vanherk explains: “These cold storage rooms are going to allow Bel Export to store Conference pears in better conditions for a longer time, giving the fruit a longer shelf-life.”
With some 40 per cent of UK households not buying pears last year, there is much opportunity for the market to grow, particularly since noticeable trends have been identified. The popularity of pre-packs, for example is growing enormously, and as Scrase points out: “The challenge for us and our retailer customers is as much to get people buying pears more often as it is to get younger consumers interested in this somewhat forgotten fruit. We are also keen to ensure that our fruit arrives at point of purchase in the best possible condition and we are working to ensure that it has the correct degree of ripeness so that consumers are tasting the products at their best, therefore encouraging repeat purchase.”
Says Guffens: “In Belgium, apples and pears are being promoted by a television campaign. The central thought is that apples and pears are seducing by nature. We want to change the image that they are boring fruits.”
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