High demand has off-set the availability of apples after the opening of the Polish cold chambers. The apples are flying out the door, says Jakub Krawczyk, export manager for Polish apple exporter Appolonia: "More of the apple-filled cold chambers have been opened after New Year, so in theory, more apples should be available. However, In January the demand for apples was rather high, with the Polish domestic market also going for some big promotions. The European export market also started to inquire about apples, while the Asian markets wanted to load more volumes. This resulted in apples vanishing from the chambers as soon as they were opened. As such, it's not that easy to get good product at the moment. If there is something available, in good condition, this costs much more than it would have a few weeks before."
Despite the high demand, some exporters are not in any rush to clear the remaining stocks, as they'll be sold off just as easily once availability of apples drops even further, Krawczyk explains. "There are less volumes of apples. For example, we observe very big shortages in the availability of Royal Gala. As a result, the export season for us as a company will be shorter for that specific variety. There is no pressure right now to export anything, because people expect availability to be even lower by the end of the season. Meaning any saved stocks will be sold or exported without any issues."
According to Krawczyk, the world has gotten used to the challenges of the Red Sea, but exporters are still hoping for official news of being able to use the Red Sea Route again: "The current logistical situation hasn't been that bad. By now, everyone is used to the longer transit time to India, and most of the shipping lines are offering alternative connections that are acceptable. The transit time to South America was around two-to-three weeks, connections to Egypt from southern ports are also very fast. There is also some news regarding ships supposedly being able to cross the Red Sea without problems, so if this becomes official, it will be a win for the exporters."
Given that supply isn't as abundant this year, Krawczyk expects that all varieties will easily find a buyer this season. "During the Christmas period, we were loading lot of Gala apples. However, I can't say there was one particular variety of which we shipped a significantly larger amount of apples than the other varieties. I think that even less popular varieties will find their way to the customers this season. There are less apples in general, and we are getting inquiries from countries that don't buy from us regularly, but these people are searching for apples."
"Prices are increasing and we're getting info that growers are closing their transactions more often now with a price per kg. This will also affect the final price to the consumer, which will be higher. If the trend of price increases will continue, we could see some good prices for apple growers," Krawczyk concludes.
Appolonia will be exhibiting during Fruit Logistica in Berlin. You can find their stand in Hall 20, booth A-20.
For more information:
Jakub Krawczyk
Appolonia
Tel: +48 785 342 930
Email: jakub.krawczyk@appolonia.pl
www.appolonia.pl