Overall, volumes seem to be lower at the start of the European apple season. Top fruit picking is in full swing in the Netherlands. Demand for both Conference and Elstar is good and consumers are making repeat purchases. The fruit is also in shops at a nice price. Belgium, for instance, sees sharply lower volumes this year, but this could give more room on the market. In Germany most all growing areas are expecting a smaller harvest than last year. The only exception is the Bodensee region, where the latest estimate is for a 13% increase in volume compared to last year. High temperatures significantly impacted the Greek apple production. The trees did not receive the required hours of cold temperatures, because they had a warm winter. There was also a prolonged heat wave with over 42 degrees Celsius for several days in July. This had a negative impact on the size of the fruit, but fortunately not its quality. Polish apple exporters expect a rather unstable apple season. Prices are also higher than they were at the start of the apple season. For Poland specifically, its expected the country will have about 20 per cent less production than they had in 2023.
