"Our Conference pear crop is slightly smaller than that of previous years. But it's better than average, so we certainly can't complain," Kris Wouters said in mid-September. Kris owns the Belgian company, Fruithandel Romain Wouters & Co. He says this year's cold, rainy summer affected the size but not the fruit flavor. "We were concerned that the pears' flavor would be inferior or their sugar content low."
"But, it's not too bad. The sunny, dry weather in the two weeks before harvesting began did a lot of good." A fair number of non-irrigated pears are still being grown in Belgium. "Those growers have been picking too-small pears for the last few years. But this year's rain means everyone's fruit is the same whether you can irrigate or not. We all have large pears this year. There are going to be very few small ones."
Storage
The lower volumes should generally have a positive effect on pear prices. And Kris is keeping a wary eye on this. "There are unexpected factors, like COVID-19 or the Russia boycott, over which we have no control. These could have an impact. Let's be cautious and hope it'll be a good year." In this regard, storage is also essential, Kris points out. He expects to be able to store pears for longer this year.
Yet, he also knows that this aspect cannot always be anticipated well. "This year, if we have good post-storage quality, it should be a good year, for sure. But if storage turns out to be not so good after all, then you have less time to sell the pears. And with quality problems, some customers drop out. That's something we don't know right now - will the pears store well?"
Room
This season may be looking fairly good, but what does the future hold for pear cultivation? Wouters had been fairly pessimistic about that in recent years. He, however, now sees somewhat more room for growing pears. The four major producers - Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain - produce too many pears with a good harvest. But the weather seems to be changing this.
The pear grower and trader says, in Italy, pears are being cultivated in a barely viable climate. This country is Europe's largest pear producer. "Climate change is making that hardly profitable anymore. So many growers are planning to stop, and orchards have already been uprooted. If 20 to 30% of the acreage disappears in Italy, pears in Belgium and the Netherlands stand a far better chance."
Diversification
Kris finds that, in general, the scope must be widened beyond just Conference pears." If we want to continue with pears, we have to distinguish ourselves. We can do so by planting other varieties and not just keep counting on Conference. You can get good prices with other varieties." That is why Fruithandel Wouters started with QTee pears. More QTee and other red pear varieties are being planted in Belgium, and shoppers are keen on these. Doyenné du Comice, for example, is doing much better in recent years than, say, five to ten years ago.
"I think the only way we can increase general pear consumption is to offer other varieties." The new, smooth-skinned varieties have more potential for far-away exports. "Those distant markets aren't the answer to possible overproduction. But there is a slight increase in demand" he concludes. The sky-high container prices are, however, a hurdle in this regard. It is hampering distant top fruit exports. Kris, nonetheless, expects this issue to be resolved in time.
Kris Wouters
Fruithandel Wouters
Kasteellaan 21
3454 Rummen
+3211586190
+32475283696
[email protected]
www.qtee-pear.com