European apple volumes forecast flat for 2022-23 but pears set for big rise

The outlook for European apple and pear production for 2022 is hopeful, with pear volumes set to rise by 20 percent and apple volumes expected to increase by 1 percent compared to last year.

The figures were released on August 4 at the Prognosfruit 2022 conference in Belgrade, Serbia. It was the first in-person Prognosfruit event after two online editions and more than 200 international representatives from the apple and pear sector took part.

“The apple production in the EU27 and UK is estimated to increase by 1 percent to reach 12.167.887 tons compared to last year. This year’s crop is also forecasted to be 9 percent above the average of 2019-2020-2021,” said Philippe Binard.

The European crop continues its adaptation to the varieties and quality specifications demanded by consumers. 

Dominik Wozniak, President of WAPA, indicated: “The prospects for the upcoming season are positive.

However, he added: “the sector will have to be prepared to face a variety of challenges including significant rising costs [...], intense  weather conditions, logistical issues, inflation, and difficulty to secure seasonal workers, with the ultimate goal of increasing consumption thanks to the quality of the products of the season and reversing the recent negative trend”.  

Binard highlighted that although the EU pear crop for 2022 is estimated to increase by 20 percent, this is in comparison to last year's record low crop of the decade. Compared to the three-year average, pear crop will rise by just 5 percent to 2 million tons, mainly due to Italy and France more than doubling their production compared to 2021.

In addition, in the case of Italy “the crop remains below its full potential,” Binard stated.

The Prognosfruit 2022, organized by WAPA and Serbia Does Apples, featured the forecast and market analysis for the European apple and pear market as well as an overview of the latest trends in  processing, organic, and the cider market. 

Luc Vanoideek (COPA COGECA-VBT) commented: “The Belgrade meeting was the ideal opportunity to learn more about the development in the EU neighbourhood, including Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine, Turkey, as well as the Central Asia and Caucasus region.” 

He further explained: “The additional contributions from representatives of China, India, and  the USA provided to the conference a global outreach with the full picture of the whole Northern Hemisphere crop forecast.”

WAPA will continue to monitor the developments of the Northern Hemisphere crop and will issue updates when available.