Portugal suffered a disappointing season last year with yields of Rocha pear - its principal export item - down by 30 per cent and generally a bit on the small side. However, this year the August harvest was far more impressive, with many of the leading exporters reporting increases of between 30 and 33 per cent on last year.
“For the 2006 campaign we estimate a crop of 160,000 tonnes, which is bigger than last season’s 120,000t, but smaller than the bumper 2004 crop,” says Patricia Vaz, secretary general of ANP, Portugal’s national pear association.
The significant increase in production has largely been attributed to the unusually favourable weather conditions enjoyed this year, which saw high temperatures and heavy rainfall early on in the season. “Besides seeing very good flower set during the growing period, we had several periods of rain, which is not normal for Portugal, and that contributed to the increase in Rocha volume,” says Paulo Correia of exporter Luis Vicente. “The importance of the periods of rain is extreme, especially when you realise that almost 50 per cent of the orchards are not irrigated.”
According to Délia Fialho of exporting group Frutus, the country’s water shortage is a major setback for many producers and an area meriting considerable attention. “We need a better policy water, such as barrages or something, in this region because in the winter it rains a lot but the water is rapidly absorbed by the seeds but in spring and summer we don't have sufficient water,” she says.
This year’s crop is considered superior, not only in terms of volume, but fruit quality and size - a point to which Sainsbury’s top-fruit and stonefruit buyer, Neil Gibson, testifies. “The quality we have received has been very good and availability is ok,” he says. And, while larger-sized fruit is not high in demand in the UK, Sainsbury’s customers are not about to go short, says Gibson. “There is enough small fruit to maintain our demand so all looks good for a successful campaign.”
With the UK representing Portugal’s single largest export market, getting its requirements correct is paramount, says Correia, especially when nearly a third of the company’s fruit must pass muster with one single buyer. “At the moment the UK market represents 30 per cent of Luis Vicente’s exports,” he says. “Taking into consideration that we only export to one client in the UK - Morrisons - this demonstrates that this market is very important for us and our main investments in production and packing facilities have been made to enable us to be in this market.” With this year’s crop being so large, it is imperative that Portugal strengthens relationships with its export markets since producers are unsure of how the domestic market will cope with such an increase in volume, he adds.
Rocha may not be the first choice of pear for many UK consumers but, according to Gibson, the tide may be turning in its favour. “We are seeing growth in sales so that's pleasing,” he says. “We have given Rocha more shelf space early on this season and sales so far have been up year on year.”
According to Vaz, Rocha should have a broad appeal - to anyone with any taste. “It is a well known fact that people who enjoy food and good flavours enjoy pears,” she says. “This is a tradition dating back many years. In fact, tasty pears are historically linked with Royal banquets. The juicy flavour is guaranteed. Rocha Pear is a unique crispy yellow tasty pear, which makes it so easy to eat between meals.”
Correia agrees, adding: “With its excellent organoleptic qualities and very good shelf life, Rocha constitutes a well-adapted variety in the international fresh fruit market.” However, he readily admits that increasing market penetration will require a proactive attitude and the avoidance of blips like last year. “To be able to be competitive in international markets we must reduce our production costs and be able to offer steady volumes every season,” he says.
Portugal may still be the principal Rocha pear producing country but it is by no means the only one, with Spain, Brazil and Argentina all staring to produce sizeable volumes. Fialho, for one, suggests Portugal has little to worry about though. “I don’t consider these other countries to be a threat to Portugal,” she says. “Spain is a much hotter country so the pears it grows are different and South America doesn’t harvest at the same time; there’s six months difference between us.” Gibson says Sainsbury’s Portugese suppliers needn’t panic just yet either. “We had a look at Spain for some early fruit this season but there was actually very little difference in start dates between Portugal and Spain,” he explains.
“We may be trialling some Brazilian fruit this coming season but nothing has been finalised as yet.”
Correia, meanwhile, remains philosophical but cautious about the prospect of competition, which he regards as a double-edged sword. “All the countries in the northern hemisphere that are trying to introduce Rocha pears will, if able to produce them in good conditions, represent a threat to Portugal’s producers,” he says. “On the other hand, countries in the southern hemisphere could represent a powerful help to maintain this variety in the market all year round, complementing our sales period. Although our variety, as a unique Portuguese variety, shows a specific taste and external appearance when produced in Portugal, we know other countries will try to introduce it in the future, if they are not already doing so.”
Such joined-up thinking has prompted the Portugese industry’s largest players to club together on a wide-sweeping promotional campaign to reinforce its image as the number one Rocha pear producer. As well as appearing at SIAL last month, ANP has also been working with ICEP, the Portugese trade and tourism office, and a number of retailers, on a range of promotions.
Some exporters have been called to work on initiatives with their specific customers. “We are only supplying Morrisons and for that reason we are developing a promotion programme with our client,” Correia says. “We want Morrisons’ shoppers to be able to identify Rocha pears, as well as increase profitability and volume sales of the variety in each store. To achieve this we are in discussion with the Morrisons marketing department to identify better ways to develop this awareness.” Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, is planning to target a specific sector of the market which it feels will be best suited to such a small-sized sweet fruit. “We are planning to give away a free Rocha pear in our kids’ apple bag as part of our ‘Try’ campaign to get customers trying something new,” says Gibson. “This initiative will hopefully encourage some customers to add Rocha to their shopping list.”
The UK is Portugal’s main target for promotion this year. However, Vaz is quick to highlight that there is more work to be done elsewhere and the future stability of the country’s top export rests in persuading additional markets of the merits of its unique pear. “We are seeing an increase in demand for Rocha,” she says. “Aside from the UK we are targeting Brazil and Russia this year. There are still new markets to explore and people that still haven’t tasted the excellence of a Rocha pear from Portugal.
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