South African apple and pear growers are entering the peak of their early export shipments and are confident that their UK and European marketing seasons will go well. The top-fruit export crops are expected to be very much on par with last year, but lower crops last season in Europe will do much to boost confidence.

Some 10 or 15 years ago, the size of the previous season’s crops in Europe would have been a clear indication of the prospects the South Africans could expect the following year. These crops are still very important, but nowadays South African growers and exporters have many more options in marketing destinations. In 2011 the Far East and Asia regions, combined with Africa, received 45 per cent of South African apple exports, with the UK, Europe and Russia accounting for 41 per cent. This is a far cry from the dominance by the UK and Europe a decade or two ago.

Seen from a different angle, UK and European receivers now have to compete more strongly for South African apples and pears than before. They are now more willing to negotiate fixed or farmgate prices than before and the consignment business is declining.

Last year South Africa shipped nearly 42 million cartons to markets across the world and although it is still early in the harvesting season, industry forecasts say that it will be very much a case of the same this year. “Pears could be slightly down on last year but we will still have a very good crop,” says veteran fruit farmer and exporter, Alastair Moodie.

The South African export effort will be further supported by a better exchange rate than last year, although most exporters will caution against banking on exchange rates when planning their future in the fruit business. However, the downside is the fact that the industry will face a series of cost increases, similar to that in the citrus industry, which will reduce income back on the farm.

“Cost inflation in the logistics chain, as well as on-farm cost increases in the form of electricity hikes and labour costs, is a great worry to us,” says Moodie. He warns that while marketing conditions are looking positive, off-years in European production are usually followed by big crops and difficult markets. “If we think we have the silver spoon in our mouths, we will have to think again,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to cope with the next year too.” At the start of the season discussion normally centres around new products, but in the South African apple and pear business there is nothing to get excited about immediately. “Our apple business will continue to be built around Golden, Gala, Pink Lady, Sundowner and Granny Smith, with Tiku and Kanzi apple varieties coming though more strongly in the years ahead. In pears we will see a bit more of the red blushed pear, Cheeky, but for the immediate future the blushed pear business will be built more or less around Forelle, which is a major success for the industry,” says Moodie.

But looking down the line there is plenty to get excited about. Leading growers and marketers Dutoit some years ago introduced Honey Crunch to the country on an exclusive basis. Described as the “explosive crunch” when talking about the eating experience, Honey Crunch has had a great reception among South African consumers and Dutoit decided two years ago to fast track production.

Now Dutoit has also become the exclusive South African partner in IFORED, the international partnership to commercialise a new range of red-fleshed apple cultivars. The new apple varieties are unique because they have an internal flesh colour which is either pink or red and are considered to be among the most important developments in decades in the breeding of new apple varieties.

Industry observers say sharing in this unique international partnership underlines Dutoit’s leadership position in the South African fruit industry. “The inclusion of the range of new red-fleshed cultivars in our apple portfolio will enable the group to supply its international customers with new and exciting products,” says Gys du Toit, managing director for production

at Dutoit. “Our expertise in cultivar development has been proven over time and the marketing of these special varieties both internationally and here in South Africa opens exciting new opportunities for us. IFORED will start immediately to bring some of the most exciting red-fleshed cultivars into commercial production. They have all been developed during the past 20 years by International Fruit Obtention (IFO) in France, a company dedicated to seeking new cultivars.”

According to Du Toit, the new organisation will become a strong and influential player in the international apple world. “Jointly the IFORED partners have access to some 40,000 hectares of apple orchards. They produce around two million tonnes of apples and market about 2.5m tonnes.”

The red-fleshed varieties were developed by utilising natural plant breeding techniques and are expected to cause a sensation among consumers around the world because of their unique appearance and taste. The varieties selected for the commercialisation include apples with internal pink colour of 30 per cent, as well as some with intense red internal colours. The skin colour varies from red, orange and yellow to some bi-colour varieties.

However, consumers should not get too excited about these varieties. It will be some years before there will be enough available to start marketing programmes.

Meanwhile other companies are not sitting still in their efforts to find those new varieties that will dazzle consumers in future. Stargrow has a number of exciting new products waiting in the wings and says it is ready to introduce a new blushed pear, Celina, to the South African industry.

Celina has an interesting history, having been developed as a cross between a variety called Colorée de Juillet and Williams in Scandinavia as early as 1985. It was first brought to South Africa in 2005 and according to Stargrow’s Andries van der Westhuizen, is showing promise. If introduced it will fill an important early gap in the South African blushed pear offer.

Innovation will also allow the South African industry to increasingly ship Forelle pears early. Forelle traditionally had to be stored for at least eight weeks before it could be packed, but this is being reduced to around five weeks in a carefully monitored programme which will increase the marketing season for this variety. —