We can expect lower volumes for the Polish apples, as cold weather early in the cultivation period destroyed some of the crops, says Emilia Lewandowska, office manager for Polish fruit exporter Fruit-Group: “The apple crop in Poland will be lower compared to last season. We expect production to be about 30 per cent lower. We will have less Jonaprince, Ligol and Idared in this season, as these varieties have more sensitive buds. As such, some of these crops was destroyed by the low temperatures in February and March. On top of that, these varieties are susceptible to alternation of fruiting. Noticeable are industrial orchards, which are empty this year. This was caused by severe scab infections in orchards, which were not protected. Naturally this’ll have an impact on the demand from the processing industry.”
“This season seems to be a challenge in terms of picking the apples. What is more, the weather hasn’t been spoiling us this year, which is why it was very important to do chemical treatment in a suitable time. This is crucial for being able to store the apples for longer periods of time in the cold chambers. In this season, we’ve seen cumulative scab infections, which in turn made protection of the apples both difficult and costly.”
Lewandowska is concerned about the apple prices. As costs of production have increased significantly, the prices for Polish apples can’t lag behind, she emphasizes: “Because of lower volumes of apples in the orchards, we will have thicker apples in the Jonagold group, Idared and Ligol varieties. On the other hand, we have smaller apples for the Gala, Golden and Champion varieties, because of drought. Additionally, the price levels could prove to be challenging this year. It’s obvious that costs of production went up, so prices should be higher for Polish apple growers to be able to provide for their families.”
Although club varieties are developing well for Polish growers, they come with a need of heavy investment, Lewandowska says. “Club varieties appeared on the Polish market last season. At this moment, we’re looking for new varieties and testing some other varieties. The market for club varieties is strong, but comes with high costs of production and marketing, so it is important to make prudent decisions. We had a very good season with long shipments in 2022/2023, There was strong growth in terms of our apples exported to Asia. We had good quality Gala apples. We would like to keep this tendency in this season. This season could be less stable than the previous one. It’s a difficult season to predict,” she concludes.
Fruit-Group will be exhibiting during Fruit Attraction in Madrid. You can find their stand in Hall 8, booth 8C18.
Source - https://www.freshplaza.com
