As demand for UK's biggest fresh produce brand grows, Britain is set for an increase in Pink Lady imports from France this season, following a strong start to the season and an increase in the availability of the smaller sizes favoured by the British market.
With Europe expected to enjoy a 12.6 million tonne crop across all apple varieties this year, up 36 per cent, The Pink Lady Europe Association (APLE) predicted that total production of the variety would also climb by 3.6 per cent, thanks largely to an increase in plantings of 6-8 per cent.
Following last season’s reduced and damaged crop, due to costly spring frosts, French producers are among those looking forward to a larger volume of Pink Lady apples this season, with fewer quality defects, and smaller sizes.
Last season,a cold April stopped apple trees from flowering fully, limiting the pollination essential for fruit growth, however more favourable conditions later in the season gave a nutrient boost to the remaining apples, resulting in larger apple sizes.
Speaking to FPJ on a packhouse tour in Provence to mark the start of the northern hemisphere’s Pink Lady harvest, Marc Peyres of Blue Whale suggested that his export business was likely to send a greater volume of Pink Lady to the UK this season than last thanks to the smaller sizes available.
The UK is an important market for the apple exporter, particularly in Pink Lady, with Britain accounting for roughly a quarter of its exports in the variety.
“Pink Lady is under development so we will increase our total export volume of Pink Lady in the next two years,” he said. “If the UK is able to take a bit more, we will send it, but it depends on how we can develop the market.”
On an earlier tour of the EARL Gailet orchard near Avignon, producer Stéphane Gailet said he was pleased with this season’s growing conditions, with the month-long November harvest now well underway.
“We had very good rain in August, which is perfect for us because Provence is very hot in the summer,” he said. “We have irrigation but nothing’s better than rain because the conditions created by the rain are very good for the trees.”
He added that there had been no frosts in April, giving his company 100 per cent production capacity this year, with no losses or frost damage. Between now and the end of the month-long harvest at the end of November he is hoping for cold nights and sunny days to give the apples extra colour.
Last year saw a preponderance of big apples across Europe, with retailers such as Morrisons forced to adjust their specifications to accommodate the unusually large fruit. As a result, Pink Lady had a shortage of apples available for its PinKids children’s brand during the northern hemisphere season.
However, with Pink Lady plantings increasing and growing conditions improving this year, Coregeo marketing manager Lynn Shaw said she had high hopes for PinKids this season.
She reported an increase in sales, with the kids’ brand launching at Morrisons in June. Discussions are also underway with other retailers.
Last year the UK sold 32,500t of Pink Lady apples grown in the northern hemisphere, 20,000t of which were produced in France. The south east of France is the variety’s key production region for the UK market, boasting almost 1,400 growers and exporting 9,400t to Britain in 2017.
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