The World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA) has updated its figures for northern hemisphere apple and pear stocks, showing that, as of the start of January total European apple stocks were down 4.6% compared to the same time last year, at 4,035,178 tonnes.
The UK showed the biggest drop, down 31.3% at 77,209 tonnes (compared to 112,368 tonnes in January 2023). Other significant declines were shown by the Czech Republic (down 29.8%), Austria (down 21.4%), the Netherlands (down 22.7%), Germany (down 22.0%) and Denmark (down 21.0%). The two countries with the largest stocks were Italy at 1,215,750 tonnes (up 4.8% on 2023) and Poland at 1,095,000 tonnes (down 13.0%).
Pears showed a similar overall trend, with European stocks down 4.4% on January 2023 at 582,587 tonnes. Danish product was almost completely wiped out (from 244 tonnes in 2023 to just two tonnes in January 2024), while Switzerland (down 35.2%) and Poland (down 18.1%) also showed significant declines in stock. The UK figure for January 2024 was effectively unchanged on the previous year at 6,709 tonnes.
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