© Hof Fruit
In the pear market, the cake is quite evenly divided. "A few large players have stocked up reasonably well and will have product available until the end of the season, but overall, supplies are limited. Even at the Belgian auctions, there's hardly any product left," observes Jeroen op't Hof, who, through Hof Fruit, focuses on brokering between supply and sales within the hard fruit trade in Zeeland.
"We started the year with very low stocks, so there was already optimism in the market. Still, many players had last year in the back of their minds when things went wrong during the May holidays and the market completely collapsed at the end of the season. Now, the opposite is true, and the night frosts and problems in Eastern European countries like Poland and Romania are only reinforcing the positive sentiment," says Jeroen.
Prices for Conference pears in bins are currently between €1.05 and €1.20. For Jonagold, bin prices are between 70 and 80 cents, while Elstar prices are around 65 cents for export to Germany and 75–80 cents for the domestic market. "With apples, unlike pears, things have yet to take off. The Elstar market has been sluggishly expensive all season. Prices are holding up, but the high expectations haven't quite materialised yet. Still, I do expect the market to pick up a bit. With Jonagold, the fruit size is a bit too large for Western European retail."
"All in all, this is a grower's year again. The trade is under pressure, but growers are always one step ahead with their price increases. They've had the opportunity to sell their fruit throughout the season. Because it sold easily, there was no quality pressure. Looking ahead to next year, bud formation seems quite promising, and if we're spared any night frosts, we should be able to harvest a decent crop—one where we'll once again need the supermarkets," Jeroen concludes.
Hof Fruit is particularly active in the southwest of the country. "Zeeland, West Brabant, and I also work around the Antwerp region. And if a good cold store cell is still available, I'll head straight to the north of the country too, because we can always use growers with good quality."
For more information:
Jeroen op 't Hof
Hof Fruit
Clara's pad 10
4451 HD Heinkenszand
Mob: +31 (0) 6 52655396
info@hoffruit.nl
www.hoffruit.nl