Netherlands: More Pears and Less Apples Expected in the Netherlands

Dutch apple production is expected to be down by 12 percent while the pear harvest will increase by an estimated three percent. Unfavorable growing conditions in the beginning of the growing season resulted in lower yields for apples. The harvested acreage of apples is forecasted to drop to 5,550 hectares mainly due to disappointing profitability. The harvested pear acreage nearly totals 10,000 hectares and has been stable for the past four years. The most popular apple and pear varieties grown in the Netherlands are Elstar and Conference, respectively. At the same time there is a growing interest in producing club varieties. Organic production of apples (three percent) and pears (one percent) remains rather low. Dutch consumers have developed a preference for locally produced varieties. Dutch apples are almost all sold on the internal EU market while Dutch pears, along with the Belgian Conference variety, dominate EU pear exports. The leading pear export markets are Belarus and the UK.