There has been much to do about the new Belgian pear harvest in recent weeks. Hail, frost and problems with the pseudomonas bacterium have affected potential volumes. Corina® pears did not escape this dance either. This early Conference selection is in the market until the first Conferences appear, but it is likely to be one of the lowest harvests of the last 10 years. This, all according to Willy Dillen, executive director of the Association of Corina Producers.
He expects the first pears to be picked in the week of 22 July. "We have had an early flowering, so we will also have an early harvest. However, it is difficult to predict this year. Normally at this point we are pretty sure when the start will be, but due to the weather conditions we are still holding back this season."
"So we also expect a substantially smaller crop, but compared to the Conference it may not be too bad," Willy continued. "We haven't suffered as much from the hail and frost, so it could be that things are still recovering overall. It is still more than a month until harvest. The kilos will obviously be on the low side, but overall it seems to be more than initially thought. Certainly in terms of quality, we are looking forward to good pears anyway."
One reason for this, he says, is the spread across the country. "Neither hail nor frost nor pseudomonas bacteria cause a general problem in the Corina. There are always plots that share the blows, but we are from East Flanders to even Wallonia, so in that respect you can see that there is a certain degree of risk spread anyway. The better plots can compensate those with bigger problems. Therefore, despite the difficult conditions, we are still hoping for a nice season."
Urfruit new partner
A season that saw the addition of a new partner in marketing. Until last year, there were four distributors: Bel'Export, Koen Vanherck, Vergro and Devos Group. However, Dutch Urfruit has joined them from next season. "They approached us with a clear story for their plans as a Dutch distributor and in doing so convinced us that they can be an added value for the Corina pear. We look forward to working with these five big names in hard fruit," Willy concludes.
For more information:
Willy Dillen
Corina coordinator
+32 (0)494 46 94 87
[email protected]