After a hectic spring, August traditionally means the start of a new Belgian top fruit season. We still have to wait a while for the Conference, but on the fruit farm of Bert Morren and his wife Joke, the picking of the summer apple Sissired is now in full swing. "Sales will not be a problem again this year, but due to the heavy rainfall we expect to pick about 30 per cent less Sissired," says Bert of Fruitbedrijf Morren.

The company, located in Kortenaken, Flanders, specialises mainly in growing pears, but in summer, the focus will therefore be on the Sissired apple for a few weeks. "Since the beginning of this week, we have started picking," the grower explains. "However, we do see a lot of damage in the lower part of the trees due to the heavy rainfall we have had. In addition, of course, there had also been some early hail, which has partly grown out, but you can still see some of it. Unfortunately, as a result, there is still some more fallout than we had hoped for."

With the start of picking, Bert expects the apples to be available from the end of this week, early next week. "Quality-wise, we have no complaints. The colouring is top-notch, and the taste is good as well. On the sales side, we therefore expect almost no problems," continues Bert, who markets his apples through BelOrta. "Regarding apples, I do think we are facing a better season than last year. There the market seems to be reasonably clean, but you have to have them of course. That is somewhat disappointing, but it is what it is."

Regarding Conference pears, the grower expects a somewhat more challenging start to the sales season. "There are, of course, some leftovers from last season. That could still cause a problem at the beginning of that harvest if people still want to sell old pears. On the other hand, I think most will see the difference between old and new harvest anyway. It obviously differs enormously in quality, so we will see. It is nice that we can start a new season again. In the Conference, we expect to start picking around 22 August. The size is there. Because there are a few less pieces hanging on the trees, they have been able to grow well. The prices will also be reasonable, but whether the kilos will be there, we will have to wait and see."

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com