WAPA Southern Hemisphere and consolidated Northern Hemisphere crop forecast: Industry cautiously optimistic about 2018 campaign

14 February 2018

During the meeting, the consolidated crop forecasts for the forthcoming Southern Hemisphere apple and pear seasons (see tables below) were discussed and published. The forecasts are collected from industry associations in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa and showed that the 2018 apple Southern Hemisphere crop is expected to be stable compared to last year at 5.314.000 Tonnes. The pear crop, on the contrary, is expected to decrease by 15% to 1.117.000 Tonnes. Forecasted export figures for apple amount to 1.645.848 Tonnes, which reflects a stable situation compared to the 1.625.865 Tonnes of last year’s forecast. Pear export figures, however, are expected to drop to 569.349 Tonnes, compared to last year’s 670.082 Tonnes, which is a decrease of 15%. Overall the Southern Hemisphere season is due to start with 1 to 2 weeks of delay compared to the average.
Additionally, the figures of the 2017 EU Northern Hemisphere forecast were confirmed, with 9.190.000 Tonnes for apple and 2.208.000 Tonnes for pears. The US crop forecast was fixed at 4.500.000 Tonnes for apple and close to 600.000 Tonnes for pears. China crop forecast was fixed at 44.800.000 Tonnes. Overall, WAPA is cautiously optimistic about the current campaign, due to the low holdings and relatively good quality of the apples, which lead to good prices.
The meeting was concluded with a presentation and discussion about sustainable apple and pear production practices, the latest research and innovation activities, and promotion best practices of the members. The Association looks forward to continuing the cooperation in the future, and will convene again at the Prognosfruit Conference, which will be held in Warsaw from 8-10 August 2018.