The stone fruit season is underway in the Spanish region of Murcia with a week's delay and slow harvesting pace due to the influence of the weather this year, while there is also a strong market demand.
"Murcia's stone fruit harvest kicked off with some limited quantities in the second week of April in ultra-early growing areas, carried out by some large companies which play an important role in sparking interest in the new Spanish season, thereby opening the doors to other companies in the weeks that follow," says Santiago Vázquez, Director of La Vega de Cieza.
"We'll start having more significant quantities from the end of week 18, with a delay of around a week compared to last season, but closer to the usual harvesting schedule, as temperatures have been milder than in recent years," says the grower and marketer.
According to Santiago Vázquez, the greater amount of rainfall this year has allowed the production of larger, more marketable sizes. There aren't too many small sizes, unlike in other seasons.
"Market conditions at the beginning of the season are good, with strong demand. For now, the supply is still relatively limited because the harvest is progressing slowly due to the cooler weather. The situation is the same in the European countries we supply, where the heat has yet to arrive," says the Director of La Vega de Cieza.
While peach, nectarine, and Paraguayo peach yields are normal, the earliest apricot harvests in the Region of Murcia have been reduced by around 50% due to the impact of the abundant rains during the pollination phase, between late February and early March. This has led to a more speculative market with very high prices. "Towards the end of May, production will start to recover and we'll then be talking about 25-30% less apricot production," says Santiago Vázquez.
For the time being, according to Vázquez, "despite the excess rainfall and some hail in Extremadura, Lleida and Aragon, Spain seems to have a good stone fruit supply and it remains to be seen how that fruit will coexist with the Italian and French productions, as well as with the fruit from Greece and Turkey, whose crops have been badly affected by frosts and will take a smaller share of the market in Eastern countries."
For more information:
Santiago Vázquez
La Vega de Cieza SCA
Tel.: +34 968455779
[email protected]
www.vegacieza.com