Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Preliminary apple production forecast announced in Poland
The Central Statistical Office of Poland (GUS) has announced its preliminary apple production forecast for the season 2017/18, according to FreshMarket.
The preliminary figures show Polish apple production to amount to about 2.6-2.8 mln tons of apples in 2017, a fall of at least 30% year-on-year.
Production is expected to decline due to bad weather conditions in the country, which have led to a decrease in apple yields. Polish farmers reported of frosts in the second half of spring, a period of active blossoming. As a result, some farmers have already said of full loss of their crop at that time. In addition, some farms reported of mass spread of diseases and pests, which negatively affected quality of their apples. The situation got worse in the beginning of autumn, when orchards in many regions seriously suffered from hailstorms.
According to GUS specialists, Idared and Jonagold varieties suffered from bad weather conditions the most. Meanwhile, the situation with Champion, Gala and Gloster varieties was slightly better.