World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA) president Dominik Wozniak has warned that this year’s European apple campaign has been one of the toughest of recent years, despite good fruit quality, citing his native Poland as an example.
“The difficulties that producers have had to face in recent months are similar to the problems that have affected other European countries, such as rising logistical, energy and fertiliser costs,” he said. “The Polish production figures are very positive, but this year will be remembered by the producers as one of the most difficult in recent years.”
The WAPA’s production estimate for the European Union for the 2022/23 season has been revised to 12.2 million tonnes, with the bulk of that produce (4.75 million tonnes) coming from Poland. That output is followed by Italy (2.05 million tonnes) and France (1.39 million tonnes) respectively.
Pierre Venteau, director of France’s Association National Pommes Poires, added that unusually hot weather in the summer had led to a revised crop estimate. “At the beginning of July, expectations for the harvest were very high, significant growth in terms of production was expected,” he said. “Instead, due to the heatwave, there was a drastic drop, which forced us to revise our forecasts. However, the quality of the fruit remained good, with a very good sugar level for many varieties.”