Pome fruit production to fall in key Argentine regions

Two key Argentine pome fruit provinces are set to record a 3.2% rise in pear production this year, but apple harvests are expected to fall by 10%.

The data was released by the Rio Negro Fruit Industry Secretary in an outlook report compiled by the Comahue National University's Agricultural Sciences Faculty.

The report forecasts total pear production of 736,949 metric tons (MT) for the provinces of Rio Negro and Neuquen, while apple production will likely fall to 862,090MT. Total pome fruit exports are forecast to fall by 4.36%.

When the two provinces are looked at separately however, Rio Negro is looking much stronger with a 6% rise in pear production and only a 6.4% fall in apples. In contrast Neuquen is due for falls of 32% and 18.8% for apples and pears respectively.

Rio Negro accounts for 90% of pome fruit production between the two provinces, with 623,562MT in apples and 585,303MT in pears.

The Alto Valle region in Rio Negro is due for an 8.4% boost in William's pears, while the report forecasts Packham's Triumph and Beurre D'Anjou volumes will jump by 8.5% and 47.8% respectively in the Valle Medio region.

The season forecast still represents a 22.7% rise on volumes in the 2009-10 season.

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