“The pear season started calmly,” begins Randy Dijksman, account manager at Combilo – a Dutch fruit and vegetable importer/exporter. That is how he summed up the top fruit market in late September. Randy attributes most of that to speculation fueled by the previous, unusual season-ending.
“Last season took an extreme turn. Confidence in quality was low at the start of the season, which led to rapid culling. Additionally, there was little fruit coming from overseas, which at one point created a shortage, driving up prices. We began the new season with that approach."
A different look
That leads to speculation, and many growers are, thus, holding on to their pears a little longer, says Randy, adding that the season could, however, still go either way. You can, in any case, not compare the products’ quality to last year; the pears are very bronze. "They look completely different but are still as tasty,” he says.
This year’s fruit is also larger. "Last year, many smaller pears were sold in kilo packs. The current larger sizes force stores to revert to the traditional loose fruit which attracts a different type of consumer. You can't compare sales forecasts one-to-one with those of previous years."
And storability?
The pears must also still prove their storage quality. "That - if the pears don't store well - could sink the season," says Randy. That said, the spring’s long flowering period could upend the apple cart. He points out that trees can bear fruit from both early and late flowerings. "These different-sized pears with different stages of ripeness were all picked at once. They’re all treated with the same post-harvest agent in the same cold store. That can affect the different fruits totally differently."
Still, Randy is undoubtedly optimistic about Dutch pears sales opportunities, thanks to the efforts around Conference pears that have led to a good European market position. "In places like the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Germany, Conference pears share development is huge compared to, say, Abate Fetel," he explains.
No alternative
The account manager finds that Conference’s strong position means retailers cannot do without this pear. And while retail will try to approach the average prices of previous years, that presents opportunities, pricing-wise. "Retail can't push prices too far either. They can't do without the product and there's no alternative."
According to Dijksman, market developments confirm the sector’s resilience. It has been struggling since the loss of the Russian market in 2014, due to sanctions. "Although sentiment was negative, other markets developed," he points out.
Absorbing the peaks
That does not take away from the fact that a reasonable volume of pears still, indirectly, reach Russia.
Randy considers that a threat. "Despite the proven resilience and the increasing absorption of volume in the European market, we need those sales to ensure a favorable season." He notes that this plays an especially large role when supply peaks - traditionally around late October, mid-February, and April. "To absorb that, Russia’s still indirectly the most important factor; European retailers cannot absorb that peak," he admits.
Randy still sees chances for top fruit in exports, though, noting that from Poland, for example, many apples go to India and the Middle East. Exporting pears to distant destinations is also being worked on, but that is more challenging. "Pears are considered exotic in Asia, and people expect a consistent quality and price.”
Stable price
He reckons only parties, like sales organizations, who have available product will succeed in that. "They have full access to the product, so respond by marketing dosed top fruit, thus avoiding huge highs and lows. These parties can, thus, guarantee their export customers a stable price," says Randy.
Labor is another challenge for top fruit, and Randy thinks both costs and getting staff cause issues. While automation is increasingly being used, the technology primarily focuses on apples, not pears. "Apples have a uniform shape; pears don’t.” Pear sorting process can now also be automated. "No one touches our pears when we pack them,” he points out.
Manual labor
The same is not true for harvesting. "This development for pears should take a while longer; harvesting will remain manual work for a long time.” And that is tough to organize in the short time pear picking lasts. Sometimes, companies work together to guarantee work for longer, but sometimes, a single company grows different varieties to extend the harvest period.
Though that provides a better spread, it has its risks too, the account manager points out: "It must make commercial sense. Quite a bit of, for instance, Beurré Alexander Lucas has been planted in recent years. This high-yielding variety offers plenty of flexibility because it can be harvested before, during, or after Conference. Those volumes are now increasing, while sales opportunities are limited."
Looking ahead
Choosing a new pear variety is no simple task. While new apple varieties are regularly introduced, that is not the case with pears. Although some are successful, that often fails due to disappointing production, cultivation problems or too limited availability, so people prefer the familiar Conference. "Looking at it very abstractly commercially, you must produce what the market demands and what you’re good at. That's Conference,” Randy explains.
Yet, he believes just doing what you do and not thinking ahead can be dangerous. "If, in the early 2000s, we'd thought we’d make do with Jonagold and Elstar for the next 50 years, Kanzi or Pink Lady, for example, would never have been developed. You should see how they're doing in the market now." Randy hopes the sector will keep pushing for the development of new pear varieties with a correct picture - cultivation, marketing, and availability - as a whole,” he concludes.
