The price of domestic apple has risen from last year.
We asked if the poor situation of apple harvests is visible in grocery stores. Pete anikari
This year, the apple harvest of home gardens is worse than usual, Iltalehti recently reported.
Fruit and Berry Farmers’ CEO Heidi Wirtanen However, in the story, the story was expected to have quite normal apple harvests. According to him, for professional farmers, the harvest is more even year after year.
– Summer varieties have suffered a little, but the autumn and winter varieties, which are the big harvests, seem to be in good shape. The domestic apple will surely be enough until the end of March or early April, even though the home gardens are a bit empty this year, Wirtanen said.
Do you see in the shops?
We asked Kesko and the S Group if the worse harvest year is visible in shops and consumers, for example in the availability and prices of apples.
According to Kesko, domestic apple harvests can be considered normal this year.
– In the case of early summer varieties, the harvest was scarce, which was influenced by the cold of the spring and early summer and the warm and dry weather afterwards. The apples did not grow and the sugar levels were low, Kesko’s communications manager Otto Heinonen tells you.
The maturation of apples has been slower compared to a warm year.
– Late summer varieties developed well: size, quality and sugar are modeled. In autumn varieties, the quality is good and winter apples are well. The apple season is progressing slower than normal, but there is still enough volume for sale.
According to Heinonen, the supply of a loose apple from all varieties is at least reasonable. Discovery apple is good this year.
Product group manager Mika Tielinen The S Group’s Market Shop says that the availability of domestic apple is good this and next week, and this should continue to be.
– More difficulties were during the first few weeks of the early part of the season, when the size, color and sugar content in earlier varieties were not at the desired level.
There is currently no lack of domestic apple.
– The main varieties in early October are Lobo, Amorosa and Zari, and at the end of October Rubinola and Santana, which are also inventory varieties, which are also sold early in the year. There are some other varieties during the season, such as Rubinsteb, Gloster and Wiltonstar.
According to Tielinen, the price of apple is now higher than last year.
– The reason is strong demand due to poor home garden yield and challenges in the early part of the season. This week, the price level is about 20 percent higher than last year. We cannot comment on future price trends.
Last year, the abundant home garden yield caused prices when apples did not want to sell in the fall.
Cold spring affects
Wirtanen previously told Iltalehti that the poor apple harvest was due to two things.
Another reason for the reasons is that last year the apple trees made a really large harvest. After a good harvest year, it is usually worse. In addition, this year, spring was cold, which directly affects apple harvest.
– Last year was a really good year. The apple trees made a really large harvest. Then they usually flutter the next year. They just can’t produce a terrible harvest, Wirtanen said.
According to Wirtanen, the good harvest of the previous summer was due to a warm spring.
– Polling was successful last year, and apple trees liked the long harvest season. In July, there was so much water that the trees were able to carry their apples. Last year there were also a lot of pests, so the quality of the crop was good. It made a small addition to it, Wirtanen said.