Multicolour season, Belorta awarded for the taste and organics

‘We now have around 5,000ha of pears and 1,600ha of apples, and are continuing to diversify our varieties,’ says sales director Jo Lambrecht. He confirms the excellent performance of the new Fred pear, both technically and commercially. It also offers consumers something new in terms of taste. The harvest has just finished, with around 70% of its potential, and Belorta expects to supply all its international markets, including Brazil and China. Club and organic apples In apples, Belorta is focusing on club varieties with Kanzi, Morgana, Greenstar and Belgica. For the second season, Belorta is operating the new pre-grading and packing station at Borgloon, equipped with the most advanced infra-red selection system. Belorta can also pack in all the formats requested by distributors. The cooperative has also confirmed good results with its organic offer, with sustained demand throughout Europe for organic Conference pears. The organic apple variety Natyra has been successfully introduced, thanks to its good sugar content, red colouring and late shelf-life. It is marketed after Jonagold. Multicoloured red fruit season Belorta entered the late season with greenhouse production only. ‘We were surprised by how well the French market responded to Belorta strawberries this summer, with the new Parlando and Karima varieties in particular,’ says Lambrecht. Elsanta is losing some acreage, but remains a very popular variety. Belorta has also introduced new varieties of raspberries and blackberries, such as Monet and Dali, which offer better firmness and flavour. The blueberry season was difficult for Belorta, however, due to international competition, including from the Southern Hemisphere and Eastern Europe, where labour costs are much lower. With blueberries, we suffered from competition from the rest of the world who export to Europe during our season, even from the Southern Hemisphere and Eastern Europe, our high labour costs being a handicap. The cherry season was catastrophic, due to excessive rainfall. Barely 30% of production could be harvested. Vegetables awarded for their taste ‘After a turbulent year for tomatoes and other greenhouse vegetables, we can once again concentrate on taste and quality,’ says Lambert. The Ruby Red and cœur-de-bœuf tomato ranges have become important and are enjoying an excellent 2024 season in organic production too. Ruby Red organic received the BioVLAM Award 2024 for its taste. For 2025, Belorta is preparing to introduce new varieties of cherry tomato on the vine (9 to 13g of fruit) that are even tastier. ‘We've had a very good year for cucumbers, given the lack of production in southern Europe and their success on social networks, particularly on TicToc’. Visit us at FRUIT ATTRACTION stand 6C18