The stone fruit season will start with a slight delay, but with good calibres and qualities, as the hail of the past weeks didn't cause much damage to the crops, according to the Fepex Stone Fruit Committee. The Committee, made up of representatives from the main production areas of Murcia, Andalusia, Catalonia, Extremadura, Aragon, and La Roja, held a virtual meeting yesterday to discuss the start of the season, prepare for the upcoming Stone Fruit Contact Group meeting, and elect Joaquin Gomez as their president.
The committee expects the season to start with a one to two-week delay in the main production areas. They also expect significant volumes by the middle of May in the earliest regions, such as Murcia. The season might start earlier if temperatures increase in the first fortnight of May.
The hail that fell mainly in Aragon and Catalonia slightly impacted stone fruit crops. According to Afrucat, the hailstorm on April 19 only affected around 8% of the Plana de Lleida's potential production.
The sector also expects good quality and similar sizes and volumes to last year. Acreage remains stable for all products and areas, with a slight increase in apricot cultivation in Aragon and Catalonia.
The committee also got ready for the next meeting of the French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese stone fruit contact group, to be held in Portugal in the second week of May. At this meeting, the progress made in the joint work carried out on phytosanitary matters will be discussed, among other issues.
Finally, the Committee elected Joaquín Gómez, who is also president of the Murcia association Apoexpa, as its new president.
In 2024, Spain exported 903,591 tons of stone fruit worth 1,468 million euros. Apricot exports stood at 95,903 tons worth 174.8 million euros; plum exports at 77,219 tons and 127 million euros; and cherry exports at 39,967 tons and 139 million euros. Peach exports stood at 147,138 tons and 217 million euros, nectarine exports at 339,085 tons and 495.5 million euros, and Peach donut exports at 204,276 tons and 315 million euros, according to data from the Customs and Excise Department.
The Fepex Stone Fruit Committee is made up of the ASOCIAFRUIT (Andalusia), Afrucat (Catalonia), Apoexpa (Murcia), Afruex (Extremadura), APEPH, AEAMDE, and Excofrut (Aragon), Arifrut (La Rioja), and Fexphal (Valencia) associations.
For more information: www.fepex.es