According to data presented today by Afrucat, Catalonia's Fruit Business Association, and DARPA, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Catalonia will maintain its peach and nectarine production despite the hailstorms this spring.
Catalonia's production will decrease by 2% compared to last season, with a forecast of 376,780 tons, and recover by 5% compared to the average of the past five years.
By region, Lleida will harvest 2% fewer peaches and nectarines (356,930 tons), Tarragona 5% less (16,450 tons), Barcelona 7% more (2,480 tons), and Girona 2% more (935 tons).
Despite the seven hailstorms in Lleida in under a month, this would be the third year with a correct production potential after production was very low in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Flowering has been long. Fruit set was normal/abundant in Lleida and normal in Tarragona. Sizes are normal, and the need for thinning is normal/high (in the areas affected by hail, thinning has made it possible to eliminate a good part of the damaged fruit).
Harvesting time will depend on the municipalities and will be delayed by around 5-7 days (15 days in Barcelona) compared to last year, but similar to a normal year. However, it will depend on the temperatures in the coming weeks.
Afrucat expects this season will be marked by a shortage of stone fruit throughout Europe; something that is starting to be noticeable with the growing demand for apricots. Assessing the effects of frost across the continent will be key to anticipating market behavior.
Andreu Viladegut, president of Afrucat's Stone Fruit Committee, stressed the need to protect crops to face climate change and maintain production and market supply. He said that Afrucat and DARPA are collaborating to finalize a project to improve the protection of farms.
"Work is being done to make existing measures to invest in anti-hail nets and frost protection mechanisms more attractive, or to articulate other measures to promote these protections among farmers," stated Jaume Feixa, DARPA's territorial director.
Manel Simon, general director of Afrucat, said that the sector will continue to have problems finding labor this season. That's why, he announced, in June they will launch a pilot plan in which a hundred Gambian workers will arrive in Catalonia to work the fields until October, when they return to their country.
Catalonia's data on peach and nectarine production for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and forecast for 2025.
For more information:
Afrucat
C/ Corregidor Escofet, 64
25005 Lleida - Spain
Tel: +34 973 22 01 49
www.afrucat.com