The current 2022/23 crop was originally forecast by WAPA with a quantity like the previous harvest. From August 2022 however the majority of Member States registered additional drought and heatwave conditions that could cause smaller sizes of fruit andconsequently, smaller quantities.

For Poland which is the MS that has the largest amount and the necessity of adjusting production to meet market requirements which is structural adjustment was confirmed one further. There are many preliminary sources that provide information on the amount of the harvest; they suggest an eventual estimate that may be lower than expected because of labor shortages and other issues.

The amount of stock on 1 December 2022 for Member States that are the top 10 producers of the year was 4 419 513 tons, 9percent lower than the amount of the previous harvest.

Of course, the industry is facing a variety of challenges for the moment The main ones are: 1)) Costs of inputs rising (especially the energy sector and other inputs) 2.) Costs of transportation are high 3.) the shortage of labor (especially when harvesting).

However, these difficulties are associated with opportunities: 1.) moderate size of the proportion of the crop going for fresh consumption.) measures being implemented to ensure lower energy costs to store fresh apples as well as in order to make apple processing easier; 3.) Excellent export possibilities for processing given the smaller production of China (more than half of all world production and consumption, and a harvest that’s 9 million tonnes less than the normal level) as well as very competitive exchange rates for both dollars as well as Euro in terms of exporting using the Polish currency.

Click here for the information sheet.

Source: agriculture.ec.europa.eu