The extremely rainy autumn of 2023 was predicted to negatively affect this year’s apple harvest.
Despite that, there is now happy news from Skåne’s apple growers, where they have already started harvesting the first fruits of the year.
– We have already started picking apples and it is earlier than ever. So that’s the difference from previous years, says Jan Flemming Jensen, cultivation manager at Kivik’s factory.
Last year, the industry predicted that 2024 could be a bad year for the apple harvest. But after all, there are happy faces – in most places, at least.
– Every year you are either relieved or disappointed. This year we are happy that we escaped the frost here, but we know other growers who have had frost, some have had hail and for them it has been really tough, says Jan Ehrensvärd, owner of Tosterups Gård and chairman of Äppelriket.
Gray clouds in the apple sky
So even though the Discovery apples are now being harvested and this year’s Ingrid Marie harvest looks to be big and colorful, there are clouds of worry on the horizon. With global warming, flowering starts earlier and then late frost nights and hail showers affect the upcoming harvest to a greater extent than before.
– We may have to learn to protect ourselves against hail and frost damage. But it is also expensive to take care of such injuries, says Jan Flemming Jensen.
He also does not rule out that warmer average weather may mean that Swedish apple growers will have to review which apple varieties they grow. But so far it is not known whether Swedish consumers are ready to replace their favourites.
Despite a good harvest – more expensive this year
Although this year’s harvest is good, the apples will be more expensive this year. Partly it is about increased overheads for the growers, but also because the apple year has been much more gloomy down on the continent.
– This will cause the price to rise slightly. But the apple is still a very well-priced product compared to other fruits, I think it’s a fruit many consumers eat in times of a worse economy, says Jan Ehrensvärd.