The World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA) has published new consolidated production figures for the Southern Hemisphere apple and pear sector, revealing a year-on-year downturn in output of around 2.6 per cent for both products.
According to the figures, released during last week's annual Prognosfruit meeting in Ashford, UK, total apple production for 2008 stands at 5.08m tonnes across the major supplier countries in the Southern Hemisphere, compared with 5.21m tonnes in 2007.
Brazil has seen the most notable drop in production, down 17 per cent on last year's volume to 824,900 tonnes, and with domestic reportedly higher this year exports to Europe have fallen by 5 per cent year-on-year to 95,990 tonnes.
Chile's apple crop is likely to be around 1.87m tonnes this year, 4.53 per cent up on last year's figure of 1.78m tonnes.
Total pear production among the leading Southern Hemisphere producers, meanwhile, is forecast to reach 1.40m tonnes this year, according to WAPA.
While New Zealand's crop is expected to be 25.6 per cent down on last year at 7,362 tonnes, Argentina and South Africa both anticipate falls in production, the former down 2.3 per cent at 722,514 tonnes and the latter down 6.1 per cent to 337,000 tonnes.
Chile is expected to produce a total of 188,887 tonnes of pears in 2008, down 2.4 per cent on the 193,522 tonnes it produced last year.
Southern Hemisphere Apple Production 2008
| Country | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | % 2008 vs 2007 | % 2008 vs 2005-2007 average |
| Argentina | 1,121,057 | 1,050,732 | 1,046,643 | 980,286 | -6.34 | -8.62 |
| Australia | 326,584 | 276,427 | 270,425 | 284,000 | 5.02 | -2.45 |
| Brazil | 882,472 | 755,707 | 993,227 | 824,900 | -16.95 | -5.96 |
| Chile | 1,566,520 | 1,675,476 | 1,784,359 | 1,865,256 | 4.53 | 11.33 |
| New Zealand | 505,577 | 391,700 | 426,782 | 412,723 | -3.29 | -6.49 |
| South Africa | 702,920 | 636,926 | 689,054 | 710,000 | 3.04 | 4.98 |
| Total | 5,105,130 | 4,786,968 | 5,212,497 | 5,077,165 | -2.60 | 0.85 |
Source: WAPA
Southern Hemisphere Pear Production 2008
| Country | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 (F) | % 2008 vs 2007 | % 2008 vs 2005-2007 average |
| Argentina | 529,576 | 749,777 | 739,143 | 722,514 | -2.25 | 7.38 |
| Australia | 151,442 | 142,419 | 134,764 | 145,500 | 7.97 | 1.84 |
| Chile | 200,881 | 195,122 | 193,522 | 188,887 | -2.40 | -3.88 |
| New Zealand | 11,150 | 9,300 | 9,900 | 7,362 | -25.64 | -27.33 |
| South Africa | 316,142 | 323,833 | 358,799 | 337,000 | -6.08 | 1.22 |
| Total | 1,209,191 | 1,420,451 | 1,438,135 | 1,401,263 | -2.56 | 3.39 |
Source: WAPA
No comments yet