In spite of the economic difficulties which have affected production in the fertile Rio Negro valley, Argentina remains by far the world’s number one pear exporter, especially via the port of San Antonio/Bahia Blanca. Production is very much focused on the Williams variety, distributed for the fresh sector but also aimed in part at the processing sector; although the range has slightly expanded with Packhams and Abate Fetel on the up. Small producers still have a significant share, though the partnerships established with big production groups and export market specialists are helping earn better value from the harvests.
The 23 000 hectares of pear orchards in Argentina are concentrated mainly in the provinces of Rio Negro and Neuquén (95 %), with the rest situated in the Uco valley in Mendoza province. Thanks to the installation of irrigation canals and infrastructures, fruit production developed on the fertile land of Alto Valle starting from the 1930s, firstly with Williams pears and Red Delicious apples, and then with the grape, tomatoes and stone fruits. This zone is situated at the confluence of the upper reaches of the Rio Negro and the lower reaches of the Rio Limay and Rio Neuquén. This water reserve provides a favourable context for fruit production over a zone 130 km long. Production also extends to the Valle Medio zone of the Rio Negro and the Rio Colorado, where it starts in an earlier slot. The climate conditions also ensure low sensitivity to fire blight. Sanitary protection of the orchards is supervised by the programmes of SENASA, FUNBAPA and the sanitary inspection services of the USDA. Most farms are small in size; of the 2 700 fruit producers in Alto Valle, 56 % owned less than 10 ha in 2014, making up just 16 % of total surface areas, 14 % had between 20 and 50 ha (22 % of surface areas), and just 2 % had more than 100 ha (36 % of surface areas). Most producers are still independent, and sell their production to shippers/packing stations. The big producers’ organisations come together under CAFI (the Argentinean chamber for integrated fruit growers).
After expanding steadily until the early 2000s, surface areas in Argentina stabilised at around 20 000 ha. They gradually increased again to a peak of 28 000 ha in 2014, thanks to growing demand from certain emerging markets, especially Russia and Brazil. However, the economic difficulties in many countries and the loss of the source’s competitiveness (less favourable exchange rate than for other Latin American countries, and big increase in production costs coupled with recurrent strikes) led to a big drop in surface areas. The fall would seem to be smaller this year, though the cultivation area should shrink again (23 000 ha) through the disappearance of small operators to give a production potential of 600 000 to 700 000 t, depending on the sources. Production has decreased in particular in the Mendoza zone in favour of other more lucrative crops, such as wine growing.
Argentina is still the world’s number one pear exporter country, although its exports have declined in recent years. They have waned with the decreases in shipments to certain destinations, after peaking at 465 000 t in 2008. They first of all dipped to the European Union in the economic crisis of 2008, going from 160 000 t to just 60 000 t in 2016. While exports to Russia have held up better, boosted by the Russian embargo on European produce, they have also dropped since 2014, when they were still at 100 000 t, and currently struggle to get past 60 000 t. The situation has also deteriorated with Brazil, which imported up to 150 000 t of Argentinean pears in 2012-13, and whose protectionism further reduces the imports level every year (less than 100 000 t expected in 2016). Conversely, shipments to the United States remain stable.
Argentina dominates the Southern Hemisphere pear market, spearheaded by the Williams Bon Chrétien variety, which represents more than 40 % of volumes produced in this country, ahead of the Packhams Triumph (30-35 %). The Beurré D’Anjou variety holds third position, with approximately 10 % of harvest tonnages. The remainder is divided between Red Bartlett (6 %) and Abate Fetel (2 %), as well as varieties such as Beurre Bosc, Beurré Giffard, Clapps and red Beurré D’Anjou. However, we should note that the share of Williams is set to fall, in favour of Packhams and Abate.
The harvest starts in late December/early January for the early varieties (Clapps, Coscia, Guyot, Giffard), on around 10 January for Williams and from early February for Abate and Packhams. These harvest start dates are supervised by INTA, with a view to achieving optimum maturity for preservation.
Although decreasing, a large proportion of production is aimed at fresh exports (between 50 and 60 %). 25 to 35 % goes to the processing sector, especially for the Williams variety. Local consumption absorbs only a small proportion of volumes (less than 15 %).
Fruit for the domestic market and Brazil is transported by refrigerated lorries. Sea-freight exports go via the port of San Antonio/Bahia Blanca. It takes approximately 17 to 19 days to reach Antwerp and Rotterdam, and 19 to 22 days to reach Russia via Saint Petersburg or the Black Sea.
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