The apple season about to begin will not be without its challenges. This is what emerged from Prognosfruit 2024, the annual itinerant conference during which the WAPA, the “World Apple and Pear Association”, publishes its forecasts for the upcoming apple harvest throughout Europe. The general picture that emerged from Budapest, where the event was held this year, was one of a decrease in most producer countries, with a crop expected at 10,21 million tonnes, a reduction of 11,3% compared to the previous year.
Output has been adversely affected by the problems during flowering that occurred in many producer countries including Germany, which reports a fall in output especially in the areas in the East and North of the country. The same applies to Poland, Europe’s largest producer, for which the WAPA estimates a sharp drop in crop size which will also have repercussions on industrial output. Production will also decrease in Benelux and France, although there will be expansion in Spain. With regard to Italy, the Prognosfruit data forecasts a slight fall in production.
“The current phase is one of major transformations on the international markets, which are dominated by geopolitical uncertainties and the unknown factor of climate change,” VOG CEO Walter Pardatscher commented from Budapest during Prognosfruit. “To stay competitive, players have to adopt clearly defined production and marketing strategies and offer a high-quality product more and more closely attuned to customers’ needs.”
In this context, crop protection systems such as anti-frost systems and anti-hail nets, able to safeguard the growing area’s resources, are becoming more and more important. Varietal innovation is also proving to be fundamental, with the choice of varieties that have greater resistance to the changing climate.
