Apples picked in the 2016/17
growingseasonfullymeetthevolume,sizeand
qualityneedsofthedomesticmarket
B
razilian consumers, who
have got used to the tempt-
ing taste of the apples pro-
duced in the Country, have
every reason to savor even
further the local fruit in 2017. While in the
previous period there were volume restric-
tions, current national supplies can ful-
ly meet domestic demand , “in all market
niches related to quality and size”, officials
of the Brazilian Association of Apple Pro-
ducers (ABPM) confirm.
In 2016, according to an evaluation
by the Center for Applied Studies on Ad-
vanced Economics (Cepea), of the Luiz de
Queiroz College of Agriculture (Esalq), a di-
vision of the University of São Paulo (USP),
several topics had an influence on the do-
mestic market. With tight supply, the cen-
ter ascertained that prices soared, but was
faced high cost of production. Further-
more, he registered reflections stemming
from the political and economic crisis and
Good product is offered to the
various niches of domestic demand
from rising imports.
In the first months in 2017, with supplies
on the rise, prices dropped, a fact that was
ascertained by the Cepea Hortifruti team
in the production areas and by the Brazil-
ian Horticultural Market Modernization Pro-
gram (Prohort), of the National Food Sup-
ply Agency (Conab), in all major distribution
centers throughout the Country. The vol-
ume offered by the graders outstripped the
volume expected at the start of the crop.
Still according to the Horticultural Bul-
letin, published by Conab’s Prohort divi-
sion, in April 2017, demand for the prod-
uct detected in the wholesale markets in
March was considered to be low, though
Theway
clients
want it
being superior to the demand in the same
monthof the previous year. Anyway, the of-
ficial organ had expected that in April sales
would soar and, relying on Cepea projec-
tions, the second half of the year would be
marked by a price recovery process.
The apple is one of the most consumed
fruit in the Country, where it occupies the
third position, right after oranges and ba-
nanas. In 2016, it was the secondmost com-
mercialized fruit at the São Paulo Distribu-
tion Centers (Ceagesp), the biggest food
supply center in Latin America, with a vol-
ume close to 130 thousand tons from Jan-
uary to November, right after oranges, reaf-
firming its relevance in the national market.
Inor Ag. Assmann
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