NEWS: 2019 HARVEST PREVIEW

Planning ahead is probably one of the biggest challenges for businesses using large volumes of fruit and vegetables in their products – so here’s our traditional sneak peek of the latest European agricultural reports to help you plan ahead during the red fruit harvest season…

Demand for strawberries is showing no sign of abating, and market demand for the sweet red fruit is significantly strong this year. Our Spanish crop is being puréed, with the long strawberry season there having already finished. The season in Poland is also coming to an end, earlier than was initially expected, due to a shorter flowering phase following the unexpected frost and heatwave in May.

Blackcurrant cultivations in Poland were also affected by the spring frost. However, initial estimates are showing enough volume to meet current industry demand, with a forecast increased yield for later varieties of the fruit. However, given the natural difference in yield across regions, it’s difficult to make accurate predictions.

Early varieties of the crop will start to be harvested in July, as will sour cherries which, after last year’s bumper crop, are expected to balance out and produce a more discreet bloom this season. Luckily, limited pollination doesn’t seem to have had a huge impact so although the season will start slow, more volumes are expected in the coming weeks.

Nature’s balancing power is also compensating for the spring frost with an abundance of redcurrants, which have shown resilience throughout the extreme May weather conditions. Indeed, with the earliest varieties almost ready for harvesting, a regular crop is expected this year.

For raspberries, the summer season started last week – higher temperatures in June meant an earlier start to the season for our pickers! However, although the crop is earlier than normal, the spring frost has affected raspberry fields and our expectation for the summer crop is that it will be less volume than last year, with a shorter season overall. It’s too early to say whether the autumn crop will be affected as well, but we will monitor the flowering development closely.

As usual, our agronomists and trusted growers are monitoring the fields to assess the expected volumes. Nature is unpredictable and for most crops it’s still too early to make accurate predictions of volume.

For the time being, they have confirmed that they’re on track with our initial yield expectations. As usual, we will keep you updated on any important developments