Demand soars for apples and pears

Bramley apples were developed in Nottinghamshire

Soaring apple sales are putting pressure on suppliers and could result in a shortage of some varieties of the popular fruit in the summer.

Suppliers will be scrambling to find enough apples by July due to high consumer demand, according to English Apples & Pears Ltd.

Shoppers spent 14.2% more on Bramley apples between August and December 2007 than the same period of 2006.

Other English apple varieties have also enjoyed increased sales.

Food miles

Cox apples saw a 12% sales upturn and Gala a 9.5% increase due to big supermarket chains buying in more supplies, figures released to trade magazine The Grocer by English Apples & Pears show.

Conference pears also did well with spending up 40.3% compared to the previous year.

English Apples & Pears Ltd chief executive Adrian Barlow welcomed the sales increase, saying: "We think the situation is tremendous, in that there is this huge demand for English (fruit) and this has been very much consumer-driven.

"It is as a result of consumer concerns about the association between global warming and food miles."

Demand for cider

He added: "We would like there to be no disruption in supply at all but I am afraid there will be shortages next July."

Oliver Goacher, who operates a small apple farm in North Wheatley, Nottinghamshire near the Lincolnshire border, said he had a good crop last year but added he would be watching demand closely.

"We should have enough apples for next year - we won't be short. But big growers say a demand for cider is increasing."

A shortage of English apples this summer would be filled by varieties from abroad.

The UK commercial Bramley crop in 2004 was approximately 90,000 tons.