After last year’s extremes of weather that struck stonefruit producing regions with a mixture of heatwaves and frost, it was apt that this year’s Europech conference (April 28-29) should begin with a debate on global warming and its effect on European stonefruit orchards.
Last season Italian peach and nectarine production was heavily hit by bad weather, while French orchards suffered heavy frosts leaving both peaches and nectarines feeling the chill. In the Rhone Alpes region 60 per cent of the apricot harvest was lost in the worst frost since 1975.
Despite a somewhat brighter forecast for this year’s European stonefruit, initial reports suggest that Spanish crops have been affected by winter frost.
“The early Spanish crop has been badly affected by climatic conditions since January and this has resulted in varieties harvesting later than normal with much of the early production having been lost,” says Redbridge-AFI’s senior marketing manager Penny Pidd. “Unseasonably warm weather in January led to a lack of chill hours with some of the trees blossoming earlier than usual. This was followed by sharp frosts almost every other week affecting large areas of the country. Some of the early production was lost at this stage, other production was affected by rain and wind damage.”
Subsequent cooler than normal temperatures have led to the delay in the early fruit being harvested with some varieties 10-20 days later than anticipated. “There has been more rain than usual in Murcia recently and cooler nighttime temperatures as well as lower temperatures during the day have hampered maturity and brix levels. The smaller than normal crop has meant that we are seeing slightly larger fruit not always suited to the UK market with its high demand for punnet-sized fruit.
“Peaches appear to have been affected the worst with very little fruit being exported to the UK where warm temperatures have created a demand for stonefruit. Nectarines are slightly easier although sugar levels and eating quality are still not as good as we would like to see for this time of year. The first Red Beaut plums are only just being harvested this week, at least a week later than normal.”
In terms of loss of production some areas like Valencia have lost up to 70 per cent of early production says Pidd, and others like Badajoz are talking in terms of having lost 65 per cent of their normal production in later varieties although in some cases certain varieties have fared much better. “As with last year we are once again seeing a much slower start to the Spanish stonefruit. The first Italian peaches and nectarines will be coming through towards the end of May and the beginning of June and this will help to ease the pressure of the shorter Spanish crop,” she says.
European Produce Company (EPCO) deals with the full range of stonefruit from Greece, Italy, France and Spain. “We have just started with Spanish peaches and nectarines,” says managing director Bill Haynes, “and we will shortly be commencing with Italian product. By the first week to 10 days of June we expect to be fully active throughout the Mediterranean stonefruit producing regions. Initial reports suggest it will be a good season in terms of colour and quality for peaches and nectarines but we will need to wait another two weeks for the final quality assurances. We are expecting adequate supplies from most countries in most products.”
Italian production has benefited from good conditions in the last 12 months. “The weather has been perfect for the most part,” says Frank Guest, import director at T&JB Produce. “In a country as long and varied as Italy it is hard to generalise, and there have been a few localised hailstone problems, but as a whole nothing untoward.”
Both southern and northern fruit began harvesting around half a week later than usual, Guest adds. “For three weeks earlier in spring temperatures were slightly cooler than usual. We have had the first peaches in from Italy and the quality is very good. First arrivals are usually very good and we rarely have problems.”
Thus far volume estimates are positive. “The medium sizes that the UK and Germany prefer will be widely available,” says Guest. “This is a positive change to last year when there was a 15-17 per cent reduction in the overall crop and an excess of small fruit available.”
Price is another issue for Italian stonefruit but, says Guest, prices, like water, tend to find their own level. “Producers can always stop supplying the UK if prices get too low,” he says, “there is a definite pick-up in Italian stonefruit from the Eastern bloc countries. Although volumes increase by only a small amount each year it will start to make a difference. But if the weather remains the same in the UK then we should see good demand and subsequently, good prices.”
Across the wide portfolio of European stonefruit production, cherries are a much-anticipated crop. “We have just started with French and Spanish cherries,” says John Barnes, director at T&JB Produce. “We are currently working with the early variety, Burlat that has come onto an empty market. Although the cherries have achieved good sizes of 22s and 24s the quality of produce will get better as the season progresses - In two to three weeks time, we will be looking at much better crop.”
Demand is stable for cherries at present, says Barnes. “Californian cherries are currently hanging around but they are much too expensive compared to European produce. This is the time that produce changes from southern hemisphere to northern hemisphere,” he says.
T&JB Produce has now started with the Spanish plum, Red Beaut. “It is still fairly early on in the season for plums,” says Barnes, “and there is an overhang of Chilean and late South African fruit on the market. But quality will improve as the season progresses.”
Ultimately, says Barnes, the weather has been good for the time of year, and everyone seems to be picking and harvesting as fast as they can. “Demand is good and if the quality keeps up then stonefruit will be a big seller this year, especially when quantities start to build and prices come down.”
Cherries play an important role in the European stonefruit portfolio and increasingly UK consumers are looking for home-grown produce. With new production techniques and new varieties available there has been a renewed interest in cherry growing.
Haygrove Fruit Farm grows cherries and plums that are marketed through KG Fruit. “It looks as though we will have a good harvest for both crops this year,” says owner Angus Davison. “All the produce is currently looking healthy and plum set went well.”
All Haygrove’s cherries are grown under protection so that the fruit can be left on the trees for longer in order to develop its flavour. “We grow about 10 different cherry varieties,” says Davison, “but this is the first year that we have grown all the cherries under protection. It is an expensive undertaking but it is also a worthwhile investment because the result is better-flavoured fruit. We have a picking area of 25 acres of cherries and an additional 20 acres of plums and we have also been carrying out plum trials that have been doing very well. The last two years have seen a much higher percentage of Class I fruit.”
The UK consumer recognises that UK cherries and plums are picked riper, and are the best when they are in season, by far, says Davison. “Although the seasons are short - the UK cherry season lasts for six weeks and plum season for 10 weeks but in that time the market is increasingly focused on local, UK produce. It is a trend that is becoming ever stronger.”
Protecting crops against unpredictable weather is not the only concern UK cherry producers have. Robert Simpson, at Chicory Crops, explains: “I do not think the UK can afford to produce early cherries, simply because of the competition. UK cherries can compete against northern European produce, but not against production in Turkey. I believe the only future for UK cherries is in late production when Turkey has already stopped. In terms of geographical location the UK is on the edge of where cherries can be produced, but Turkey has the ideal climate. The late market potential is not being realised in the UK and we have additional problems because we have to cover and protect crops during and after flowering - these are both vulnerable times when we need to protect against birds and rain.”
Utopia supplies Turkish cherries from Alara. With a total of 350 hectares of cherry production, since May 2003 all of its farms have been EurepGAP accredited and this year, 300 of its growers have also been accredited. “First arrivals will begin on May 27 and be sent by air,” says Andy Carriett, Utopia’s product development manager. “Ninety per cent of Turkish production we source will be the Ziraat variety - dark red cherries which are large in size.”
Alara has supplied the UK market with Ziraat for more than 13 years, however, the remaining 10 per cent of its volumes is made up of late varieties that become available after mid-July, and it also has early varieties. “The great advantage of Turkey is that its varied geographical spread means that cherries can be produced over a two to three month period,” says Carriett. “Later production can be achieved by planting at higher altitudes and Alara has had plantations at higher altitudes for three years now. As a supply country, Turkey has the potential to extend the season even further both at the beginning and the end. From a medium-term point of view we are hoping to bring production forward to May and extend it into August. This is not something that is going to happen straight away but we are aiming to achieve this in the next couple of seasons.”
Because of its Mediterranean climate, Turkey also has the advantage of having optimum growing conditions for cherries. “This year, production has been much better than last year. The fruit is averaging 45-60 days for development as opposed to last year when it was around 35 days, but then we have had better weather - at least it has been more conventional than it was last year, so we can be sure that internal characteristics, flavour, sizing and shelf-life are going to be better,” he concludes.
No comments yet