Su http://agronotizie.imagelinenetwork.com/aziende/fiera-bolzano-interpoma/5375 tutte le notizie su Interpoma - Fiera Bolzano, a cura di Agronotizie, rivista on line per l'agricoltura di http://www.imagelinenetwork.com

1. APPLE PRODUCTION
IN BELGIUM AND NETHERLANDS
Dir. Ir. Guy Lambrechts
Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries
Unit Market Policy
FLANDERS Belgium

2. 1. General introduction of region
facts and figures
• Number of farms and area declining
• Total apple production volume is stable but losing to the
advantage of pear production in both (average yield 40t/ha)
• Existing farms scale up
• Production volume is relatively stable
• BE+ NL are small players in the EU but very active in
export and self-sufficiency is high  export is needed
evolution production volume and acreage 500
18400 620
450
18200 610 400
18000
600 350
17800
1000 ton
BE apple
hectare
590 300
17600 acreage
250 NL apple
17400 580 volume
Linear (acreage) 200 BE pear
17200
570 Linear (volume) NL pear
17000 150
16800 560
100
16600 550 50
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
2

3. 2. Financial liquidity of farms and producers
• Consecutive years of unfavourable climate and market conditions
have weakened financial position of growers
• Family income horticulture and comparable income (€/family worker)
2009
net profit per hectare -1.964
revenue per 1.000€ costs 880
labor income per ha 4.916
farm income per hectare 2.748
farm income per family
worker 30.743
3

4. 3. Organisation of the Market, domestic market and export
• high degree of organisation
• 90% member of Producer Organisations
• APO’s in Belgium, not in NL
• Transnational association BE NL DE
• PO stimulates hail insurance, hail nets
• Volatile prices (price depending on EU-production figures and
stocks, price processing is bottom in the market)
• Very export oriented (even more for pears)
• re-export of Southern Hemisphere apples: Rotterdam + Antwerp
• New emerging markets
80000
China, India
60000
• Import Russia 2009/10
40000
2010/11
20000 2011/12
0
IT FR BE DE NL
4

5. 4. Weaknesses and strengths
• WEAKNESSES
• consumption not really growing
• rising costs for
 labour
 inputs
• relatively high average age growers
• dependence of Russian Market
• STRENGTHS
• high degree of organisation in PO’s
• high productivity and yields
• young orchards + renewal of orchards
• innovative capacity
 new varieties + new techniques
• trade and logistics
5

6. Main challenges and future trends
• Total consumption of fruit is not growing
• Apple consumption is declining
• Financial position of growers weakened
• Crisis resistant?
• Introduction of hail protection
• Increased use of hail insurance
• New varieties + growing the right varieties
• Less sweeter varieties
• Controlling production costs (labour + inputs) + gaining
more insight into the costs
• No concessions on quality
6