Managing a category like top-fruit arguably takes more skill than any other in the produce aisle. With so many sources offering such a wide range of varieties, all pushing for shelf space, supermarkets could be forgiven for pleasing everyone and no one.
After all, how many articles in the nationals do we see each year bemoaning the death of English Cox? Yet if the variety were supported with further shelf space, would sales necessarily increase?
The next quarter could prove key in deciding what kind of year top fruit will have at retail level. With sales of summer fruit set to increase during a promising summer weather-wise, top-fruit sales could fall, with lunch box purchases lost during the school holidays. According to Kantar consumption data for the 12 months ending November 2010, the core consumers are children, accounting for a quarter of total consumption. Adult males are also important consumers, particularly those aged between 25 and 44, with lunch boxes also important.
In terms of supply, a difficult season in Europe has transferred to a more stable offering from the southern hemisphere. Exports from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa rose five per cent to 1.8 million tonnes, with overall production at 5.2mt, a one per cent rise.
Brazil could hold many of the cards in the market this year, with the domestic market so strong that supplies may be difficult to get hold of. The ever-increasing value of the real and a less demanding market in terms of fruit quality and packing may become attractive to growers.
But Pierre Pérès from the Brazilian apple association ABPM tells FPJ that supplies from South America should be available: “Our market is quite dynamic and the quantity of fruit produced will be enough to cover the need.
“Argentina will continue to export more or less the same quantity as the last few years. We have seen an increase of 400 per cent in the exports coming from Chile in 2010, and I do believe that will continue.
“The UK is a quality-demanding and interesting market, and is still attractive for those who understand the importance of this. Non-European markets are targeted today and even with a huge overall reduction in exports these markets continue to grow.”
Pérès is confident despite an overall fall of around 22 per cent in Brazilian top-fruit volumes: “This reduction is due to a succession of bad climate events initiating from the blooming up to the picking, including frost, hail and rain. I believe that this year we have had all the excesses of bad weather during the spring and the summer. The picking of Fuji has just started, so we don’t yet have a number for the reduction. For Fuji, on top of the climatic difficulties, it is a non-bearing year.”
Another former niche apple gaining in the market - albeit with an advanced share - is Pink Lady.
In 2010, Pink Lady sales from the southern hemisphere totalled 120,000t, with 157,000t from the northern hemisphere.
One source says: “Northern hemisphere sales for the UK from November to February have shown sales from the EU are up 47 per cent, but from the US are minus 70 per cent, due mainly to the availability of size from the US and the morpholine issue.”
Retail prices for Pink Lady so far this year have been between 299p and 329p per kilo for loose apples.
As far as the UK is concerned, newer premium varieties Cameo, Jazz, Kanzi and Rubens have enjoyed increased popularity, although volumes are slightly down on last year at just over 11,000 tonnes. Gradeouts have been good and quality has been retained in storage.
Fruit coming from South Africa kicked off in January, with blush pears continuing to rise in both volume and sales. Sunburn has been a problem for many producers with a surge of hot weather in January and early February proving challenging.
But growers are expecting volumes to be up on last year. The latest figures from Hortgro Services in South Africa put this year’s crop at an estimated 25.6m cartons, up 10.3 per cent on last year’s 23.2m cartons with Golden Delicious seeing the biggest rise of the mainstream varieties at 17 per cent. The pear crop is expected to be slightly down at 14.5m cartons.
So apples and pear supplies appear to be up to scratch but will consumers respond and keep buying?
FRUIT SHOW GEARS UP FOR 2011
The National Fruit Show stands out as one of the key dates in the British top-fruit calendar each year. Alex Lawson attended its organisers’ AGM for a review of the 2010 event, an insight into the English industry and a look ahead.
Few organisations across the UK fresh produce industry represent pre-eminent growers with as much strength and depth as the Marden Fruit Show Society. With the likes of large suppliers Adrian Scripps, Norman Collett, Worldwide Fruit and Newmafruit among the ranks of those attending the AGM, the society boasts an invaluable wealth of knowledge and experience in the sector.
Its flagship National Fruit Show event is to take place on 19-20 October this year and the society is looking at several long-term changes from next year. It is looking for a new venue within Kent, pushing the event back and reconstituting the society as a whole following an “intense” five-month review. Chairman Sarah Calcutt said at the society’s AGM at East Malling Research Centre last month: “Around 40 per cent of the industry is still harvesting in the middle of October and the time has now come to look at a new delivery date.”
The society is looking into changing its legal status; currently, it is a charity in which liability falls upon individual members of the general committee. A reconstitution would see it remaining a charity but would enable it to make a profit.
Calcutt also said the success of the post-show event had given the fruit show a “valuable opportunity” to extend its reach beyond the trade to consumers and take top fruit north to “areas where fruit growing is not in the culture”.
At the East Malling event, prizes were given out in the long-term storage categories. FW Mansfield, Blackmoor Estate and Adrian Scripps were among those landing prizes for their prolonged fruit quality. A new chairman’s award from Michael Jack was introduced, with Alan Todd and Robert Mitchell recognised for their “enormous contributions” to the wider fruit industry.
Also at the meeting, Worldwide Fruit Qualytech’s fruit-storage specialist Dr Martin Luton gave an insight into the English apple season’s output and storage quality. According to his data, the Cox harvest was 44,643 tonnes from a total area of 1,993 hectares, on a par with last season. The fruit itself gained a good skin finish, was slightly larger than usual and has not broken down in long-term storage.
The Royal Gala harvest came out at an average yield of 35.6t/ha and the total crop was up a strong 11 per cent on last year at 32,040t, while background colour tended to be light yellow and average starch reached 90 per cent. Interestingly, the Braeburn harvest was considerably down on last year - seven per cent in area (459ha) and 11 per cent down in tonnage (9,639t) - while Bramley fell 10 per cent to 61,500t from 1,968ha, with moderate scald risk and a high risk of seasonal low temperature breakdown predicted. Finally, on Conference pears the total crop was up an encouraging 16 per cent to 24,790t from a nine per cent higher total area of 1,340ha, with fruit sizing good due to frosts.
No comments yet