Spain
Forecasts for the stone fruit and watermelon/ melon campaigns in Spain In just a few weeks, European consumers will once again be able to enjoy the first Spanish stone fruits; highly-seasonal products that even lack a significant off-season fresh supply. However, the sector has good reason to be cautious with its forecasts.
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In fact, since the veto imposed by Russia on EU agri-food products almost 8 years ago (through which it made it clear that it did not intend to backtrack for a restoration of relations with one of its greatest food suppliers), the acreage devoted to stone fruit in Spain, both new and older plantations, has been falling across the board. Such is the case of the Guadalquivir Valley, one of the country’s most precocious producing areas.
ast year’s campaign was marked by caused by Russia in Ukraine, whose harsh the effects of the unusual cold snap effects have been felt at all levels: from the that swept the continent in the spring and most serious, the humanitarian, to those drastically reduced the European harvest, of global security or the economy. causing the production on the continent to drop by 19% compared to the previous In the midst of a crossfire of sanctions, year, and by 35% compared to the average warnings and intimidations, and other “In this area, many stone fruit plantations of the five previous campaigns. Fortunate- extreme threats (atomic bombs, biolog- are being uprooted,” says Roberto Cruz, ly, this year, at least until the end of March, ical and chemical weapons, world wars, manager of the cooperative San Sebasfrosts haven’t been a cause for concern; etc.), the cost of fuels, materials and fer- tian, based in the Seville municipality and not only because there have been no tilizers has risen to levels described as of Lora del Rio. “In general, growers are episodes of damaging cold, but also becau- “unsustainable”, and will leave their mark feeling discouraged. Prices are not good se the whole sector is currently mostly on a sector, the stone fruit sector, already and stone fruit is a labour-intensive prodconcerned with the unprecedented esca- affected since 2014, when Russia annexed uct with very high production costs, so lation of costs, which is seriously threate- the Ukrainian region of Crimea and began there are growers who are opting for othning the profitability of farms. to distance itself from the European Union, er alternatives. In fact, while the acreage as well as from legality. devoted to peaches, nectarines or flat Stone fruit trees have awakened from winpeaches is being reduced, super-intensive ter at a time when the pandemic, which “In the area of the Vega del Guadalquivir olive groves and citrus continue to gain we must not forget is still going strong, many stone fruit plantations are being ground.” has actually lost some prominence in the uprooted.” public eye due to the magnitude of the war According to the most recent data avail-
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AGF Primeur 4 • 2022
