In Russia, the harvest of apples may be lower than expected

Abnormal heat, heavy rains and temperature fluctuations in a number of apple-producing regions will not become serious factors for reducing the yield. Thus, the Russian Horticultural Association did not change its forecast for APPLE production this year at the level of 1.5 million tons. Although in some places the temperature in the South reached +38-40 degrees, and in some orchards apples began to bake right on the trees, however, the percentage of farms where this happened is small,” Igor Mukhanin, president of the association, told Agroinvestor. In addition, in some regions, in particular, in the Voronezh, Volgograd, Tambov regions, the Krasnodar Territory, Kabardino-Balkaria, hail passed in places, which may adversely affect the quality of the fruit, he adds.

But the Fruit and Vegetable Union plans to lower its forecast for the gross harvest of apples by at least 10%. Its DIRECTOR, Mikhail Glushkov, recalls that earlier the union estimated the prospects for the harvest in 2021 also at 1.5 million tons. “The reason for adjusting the forecast is poor crop prospects in Kabardino-Balkaria. There, due to sudden temperature changes, unripe apples began to fall off, and, probably, crop losses in the region, which is among the top three in terms of apple production, will be about 30%,” he explained.

Despite this, most likely, the production of apples this year will still be a record one, continues Glushkov. He recalls that a year earlier, many gardeners lost a significant part of the crop due to return frosts. “There was no such problem this year. Of course, the Volga region, in particular, Bashkiria and Tatarstan, are now suffering from drought, the Crimea from rains and waterlogging, but we believe that these weather anomalies are unlikely to seriously affect the apple harvest, ”says the HEAD of the union.

Glushkov says that early varieties of apples this year began to be harvested from July 1, which is two weeks later than usual. “So far, summer apples are being harvested, which make up only 20% of the total harvest. Autumn and winter apples will also be harvested two weeks later than the traditional dates - from mid-August and mid-September, respectively, he notes. - The reason for the shift in dates is late spring. it did not affect the yield in any way, the only thing is that apples will be on the shelves two weeks later.” Mukhanin says that a week ago in the South they began harvesting the earliest variety of apples - "Geneva". “And if at the very beginning of the harvest they were sold at 70 rubles/kg, now the price is 40 rubles/kg,” he knows. In a week, apple harvesting will begin in the middle lane, the expert adds.

"Giant Garden Ingushetia" in 2021 will increase the harvest of apples by 40%, said the general director of the enterprise Zamir Balkizov. “In 2021, our apple harvest will increase by 14 thousand tons compared to last year. Last year we harvested 18-19 thousand tons of apples, in 2022 we also expect an increase in harvest volumes,” he said.

In AFG National, the apple harvest is expected to be slightly higher than last year - about 30 thousand tons. The company does not see critical risks due to the weather: the garden is protected by a net, equipped with an irrigation system, however, this year there is high solar activity, says a representative agricultural holding. As for prices, there is a decrease in prices for early varieties, however, an adjustment based on the results of harvesting in September-October is not ruled out.

Agronom Sad plans to start harvesting apples from July 27. The company expects that this year's harvest will be more than 30% higher than last year. “The main threat we see right now is hail damage. That is why we installed anti-hail nets on an area of ​​more than 112 hectares,” says Aleksey Solomakhin, chief agronomist of the company.

According to him, in the 2021/22 season, most producers and retailers predict a consistently low level of prices for apples. This is due to the growth of crop storage capacity in RUSSIA, which allows us to meet demand throughout the year. Also, a lower price level than last season is formed on the basis of forecasts for the gross harvest of apples from large producers, who expect an increase in yield compared to last year.

“In addition, the area of ​​orchards in Russia is expanding every year, intensive orchards are entering the active stage of fruiting, which makes the Russian market less scarce and more competitive. However, more accurate forecasts are possible after the end of the mass harvest of apples in the region,” emphasizes Solomakhin. He adds that the main factors that influence prices are the level of consumer demand, the volume of production in the domestic market, yields and prices in domestic markets in countries that are traditional suppliers of apples to Russia (Moldova, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran and etc.).