Market Watch
Demand and prices for newer varieties have shown an increase; quality continues to be an essential selling point.
T
his year’s apple crop will go down in history with the latest harvest dates anyone can ever remember in British Columbia. Fortunately, fall weather during October and November didn’t cause any frost damage before most of the crop was finally in, but a hot spell in September did cause problems with the McIntosh variety, which didn’t colour up well without the usual cool autumn nights.
This year’s volume was better than had been estimated and larger than the 2010 crop, reports Don Westcott, director of grower services for the Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative. However, crop sizes coming out of Washington State continue to grow every year, so that the normal size of crop today is what was considered a bumper crop a few years ago. By comparison, the 293,000 or so bins in B.C. is a drop in the bucket compared to that harvested south of the border.
Most of the OTFC apples are being marketed in Western Canada, with a few new export opportunities opening up this year, said Westcott. Prices this year are reasonable and improved over last year for new varieties such as Ambrosia and Honeycrisp, which are in the top group for prices.
Market demand for those varieties continues to grow, notes Westcott, and prices are averaging higher for them. Quality and size are also better and they grade better.
In fact, apple size is better this year across the board, which has helped keep returns better overall. “I’m cautiously optimistic that Honeycrisp and Ambrosia will see a better year than last year generally, although while sizes were better, some were actually too big,” he commented.
6 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2011-12
By Judie Steeves Apple volume better than estimated
Generally, quality was good in most varieties this year.
However with some early varieties colour was a problem. In Macs, for instance, it was a bit of a disaster, not necessarily because of the lack of colour, but because the lighter background shows bruising easier than when they’re darker, Westcott explained.
“There was a problem this year with bruising; they were more sensitive to handling than in past years. When the colour is marginal you need to be more diligent about harvesting gently, and we have to be careful at the packinghouse too.”
In the marketplace, the expectation is that fruit will be bruise-free, he said. And, because of the competitiveness of the market, most retailers are not willing to change those expectations. Good Macs, however, will command a good price.
Westcott admitted that quality-wise, the North American market is spoiled compared to that in other regions of the world, where a few blemishes are acceptable.
“But, we’re competing in the North American market,” he added. Galas look good this year and sizes are better than last, so he expects to see an overall improvement over last year, even though prices are actually similar to last year.
Spartans are also solid, he said, although sizing is a challenge. Nonetheless, he’s hopeful there will be better returns for them. He advised growers to focus on growing varieties of apples that are desired by the consumer and fetch the higher prices. “You need to be receptive to change,” he commented, adding that he realizes the economic climate makes big investments difficult at this time.
The pear crop was of good quality this year, but B.C.’s crop, again, is a drop in the bucket compared to that in the rest of the Pacific Northwest. The price of Bartletts was up slightly, but the crop volume was down, while both in both the Anjou and Bosc varieties, crop sizes were up, reported Westcott.
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