Final harvest figures from GroentenFruit Huis confirm Dutch apple production is 20 per cent below last year, while the pear crop — though up 6 per cent year on year — came in well below the 10 per cent increase anticipated in the summer, with weather conditions in the closing weeks of the season proving decisive.
The Dutch apple and pear harvest has come in slightly below expectations set last summer, according to Dutch trade association GroentenFruit Huis citing information from the Dutch Fruit Growers Organisation.
With harvesting now complete, the group said around 188,000 tonnes of apples and 382,000 tonnes pears had been harvested.
This puts apple production 20 per cent below last year’s level, lower than the decline of 18 per cent forecast in July.
Meanwhile, the pear harvest is 6 per cent bigger. This makes it a smaller crop than what was predicted in July, when a 10 per cent increase was anticipated.
According to the two organisations, those downward revisions compared with the July forecast are mainly attributable to prolonged heat and drought in the summer, which affected fruit development, particularly in southern growing regions.
“The final weeks of the growing season are crucial in determining overall yields, with sufficient water essential for fruit development,” said GroentenFruit Huis in a statement. “Last summer was characterised by prolonged drought and high temperatures, as well as hail damage in some regions. These conditions made growing particularly challenging, requiring exceptional efforts from growers.”
Opportune rainfall
Rainfall in the second half of August, following a prolonged dry spell, came at an opportune moment for many fruit growers, it continued.
“At the start of the Elstar apple and Conference pear harvests, fruit weights were still relatively low because of the preceding drought. Later in the picking season, rainfall helped increase fruit weight, but the harvested fruit was nevertheless somewhat smaller on average than had been forecast in July.”
The Elstar apple harvest estimate has therefore been revised down from 77,000 tonnes to 69,000 tonnes.
Conference pear production has also come in below expectations, with the estimate reduced from 299,000 tonnes to 288,000 tonnes.
Later-harvested varieties, including Jonagold apples and Doyenné du Comice pears, have apparently benefited from rainfall in August and September.
Improved fruit development has even prompted a slight upward revision to their harvest forecasts, the group noted.
“The final Jonagold harvest is 18 per cent lower than last year, compared with the 20 per cent decline anticipated in July. For Doyenné du Comice, production is down 3 per cent year on year, against an earlier forecast of a 7 per cent decrease.
“The final harvest figures therefore demonstrate just how strongly weather conditions in the closing stages of the growing season can influence yields, and how their effects vary between varieties and growing regions.”
