The pear harvest is in storage and the Elstar apples are close behind. Right now the late apple varieties (Boskoop, Kanzi, Junami and Jonagold) are being harvested, "There is a great deal of supply right now and there are many plans to get these large volumes out. Starting in November I expect things to calm down again on the market," says commercial manager Zweer van Aalsburg from Fruitmasters.
"Domestic sales are doing well, but we are having a harder time with export. For example, a country like Germany is first going to use up their own product. We can make up for this once the harvest is over in the other countries. The market is still a bit turbulent, and growers are busy selling their products so they can pay their pickers and empty their containers. Things will calm down once the harvest is behind us," continues Zweer.
The good sized Elstars (70 or higher) are going for 50-60 cents right now, the Prestiges are going for a bit more and the 65'ers are going for 40-45 cents. The 55-size Conference pears are going for 40-45 cents and the larger sizes are going for 50-60 cents, "They are not bad prices for these fruits. The industry price is much higher, which works in our favor by providing a good base for the market."
According to Zweer, the quality of the top fruit is excellent, "Before the harvest last year the colors of our apples were not great. But now the color is great and we have access to much better quality than last year."
