William's like pear attracts the Balkans spotlight over severe Italian losses

Crop losses in Italy and low domestic pear stocks are leading Western Balkans to seek other origins to fill in for the Williams sellout. Despite the reliable quality of Argentine pears from where the region occasionally sources from 10 to 20 containers a year, March-April deliveries from Turkey have been gaining ground with the Deveci variety in response to its EU logistic convenience and attractive pricing. The product is deemed to have similar physical properties as the Italian Williams and could be offsetting the expected origin supply shortfall. Deveci has also been sought over by North Europe, with import barriers being gradually lifted to support the wholesale markets supplementing the Williams replenishment interruption. The prices will suffer some pressure in the upcoming weeks.