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Real breathes new life into industry
Brazil
Tuesday 25 March 2008
The strengthening of the Brazilian currency has given producers the impetus to develop investment projects for the production and harvesting of apples.
Greater stability in the Brazilian economy and a steady flow of foreign investment are having a positive effect on the South American country's currency and, in turn, the national apple industry is flourishing. The real has gained 20 per cent over the past 12 months, according to financial experts, making it the best performer among the 16 most-actively traded currencies against the US dollar. Buoyed by the prospects, leading apple grower-exporters are investing in new varieties and leading technologies in the field of production and post-harvesting.
Over the last few years, growers have begun to convert apple orchards to newer bi-coloured varieties. Today, production is concentrated primarily on Royal Gala and Fuji, with conversion to Gala and Fuji clones now in full swing.
"The developments in terms of new varieties are happening mainly in the Gala group," Pierre Pérès, chairman of the Brazilian Apple Producers Association (ABPM), tells Eurofruit Magazine. "Gala clones such as Brookfield, for instance, have become very popular in Brazil, while Diane is another interesting variety currently under development." Roberto Frey of apple export giant Renar says the renewal rate to these new clones, which also include Imperial Gala and Fuji Supreme, is around 6-8 per cent a year.
"The new varieties offer a much better tasting and coloured fruit," Mr Frey explains. "At Renar, we have ceased to produce older varieties and this year the majority of our crop will comprise Royal Gala and Fuji Supreme apples." With the continued strengthening of the real, many companies are also pumping generous sums of money into new production and post-harvest technologies. "Renar is investing US$4m in the installation of the latest pre-sorting and packing equipment, as well as state-of-the-art cold-storage facilities and equipment for our orchards," reveals Mr Frey. The Brazilian apple harvest kicked off on 21 January, according to ABPM, with the first consignments on the water by early February. Last year, Brazil harvested 993,000 tons of apples and the forecast for 2008 indicates a potential decrease of 10-15 per cent. This would represent a total production crop of around 844,000 tons to 894,000 tons.
Greater stability in the Brazilian economy and a steady flow of foreign investment are having a positive effect on the South American country's currency and, in turn, the national apple industry is flourishing. The real has gained 20 per cent over the past 12 months, according to financial experts, making it the best performer among the 16 most-actively traded currencies against the US dollar. Buoyed by the prospects, leading apple grower-exporters are investing in new varieties and leading technologies in the field of production and post-harvesting.
Over the last few years, growers have begun to convert apple orchards to newer bi-coloured varieties. Today, production is concentrated primarily on Royal Gala and Fuji, with conversion to Gala and Fuji clones now in full swing.
"The developments in terms of new varieties are happening mainly in the Gala group," Pierre Pérès, chairman of the Brazilian Apple Producers Association (ABPM), tells Eurofruit Magazine. "Gala clones such as Brookfield, for instance, have become very popular in Brazil, while Diane is another interesting variety currently under development." Roberto Frey of apple export giant Renar says the renewal rate to these new clones, which also include Imperial Gala and Fuji Supreme, is around 6-8 per cent a year.
"The new varieties offer a much better tasting and coloured fruit," Mr Frey explains. "At Renar, we have ceased to produce older varieties and this year the majority of our crop will comprise Royal Gala and Fuji Supreme apples." With the continued strengthening of the real, many companies are also pumping generous sums of money into new production and post-harvest technologies. "Renar is investing US$4m in the installation of the latest pre-sorting and packing equipment, as well as state-of-the-art cold-storage facilities and equipment for our orchards," reveals Mr Frey. The Brazilian apple harvest kicked off on 21 January, according to ABPM, with the first consignments on the water by early February. Last year, Brazil harvested 993,000 tons of apples and the forecast for 2008 indicates a potential decrease of 10-15 per cent. This would represent a total production crop of around 844,000 tons to 894,000 tons.
