Drought Caused a Shortage of Gala and Fuji Apples During the 2022 Campaign in Portugal

The 2022 Portugal Gala apple campaign delivered approximately 25% fewer apples than in 2021 due to heat waves and drought, resulting in smaller calibres and less color. Due to this, suppliers are not interested in obtaining new markets or customers, as they need to fulfil current consumer demand and prioritise closer destinations to avoid quality problems that usually arise when longer transit times are observed, especially transit times longer than 25 days. Brazil is one of the main destinations for Portuguese apple producers located in the west production area, as they benefit from a shorter transit time of around 15 days. Brazilian buyers are currently buying smaller calibres in sizes 200 and above.

Additionally, Fuji apple stocks are lower than usual due to the drought and heat waves, as well as because this is a late variety, despite the rainy season at the beginning of the campaign in September. Fuji apples experienced cracks around the peduncle area, causing them to have smaller yields than Galas due to the high rejection rate when packing.