Tuesday morning, after getting up really early, I visited Valencia's wholesale market, Mercavalencia, where I had the chance to see that Tuesdays are perhaps not the busiest of days.
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With 84 stalls and a surface of 20,000 m2 it is the largest market in the Region of Valencia, with buyers from the retail sector, hospitality businesses and even supermarkets.
With 84 stalls and a surface of 20,000 m2 it is the largest market in the Region of Valencia, with buyers from the retail sector, hospitality businesses and even supermarkets.
Really noteworthy were the large volumes of seasonal fruit, in this case stonefruit, melons and watermelons, with cherries, flat peaches and watermelons being the best sold products. The first figs of the season were also available, although in small quantities, as the campaign is only starting this week.
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Onions grown in the province of Valencia are remarkable products on the market and have good quality, just like potatoes, despite the fact that sales are not at the expected levels, as explained by Rafael Roselló.
Onions grown in the province of Valencia are remarkable products on the market and have good quality, just like potatoes, despite the fact that sales are not at the expected levels, as explained by Rafael Roselló.
One of the most demanded products are beans, either flat or round, which currently come mostly from Granada. Tomatoes, cucumbers and Italian and Padrón peppers are also popular.
Regarding lemons, demand continues to increase, as they are commonly used in summer for many dishes and cocktails. However, the Spanish lemon campaign is virtually finished and imports from the Southern Hemisphere have already started. Prices stand at around 0.90 Euro per kilo.
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Banana and plantain consumption volumes drop in summer, according to the traders Santiago Belloch y Carlos Guijarro, who inform, however, about an increase in avocado sales, which at the moment are imported from Brazil.
Very quiet sales
Virtually all vendors interviewed agreed that sales are quieter than ever, even though they usually slow down around this period coinciding with the school holidays.
Most blame this on the effects of the crisis on consumption. There is even talk of a 20% drop in sales compared to the same period last year.
Curiously, Muslim buyers have emerged later than usual at the peak of Ramadan, during which sales of dates imported from Tunisia and of nuts in general shoot up, as they are a great energy source and make it easier to tackle the long days of fasting until sunset. Thus, the preference for this type of products also has an impact on the drop in sales volumes of other horticultural products.
Over the past five years, sales in the wholesale market have become more complicated with the constant growth of the retail industry and this has led to profit margins being more reduced than ever before.
However, one the most striking aspects about Mercavalencia are the changes in the nationalities of both vendors and buyers in recent years.
"The number of fruit and vegetable buyers and sellers of Pakistani and Chinese nationality has grown so much that it could almost be said they are holding the wholesale market afloat," explained a member of the market's coordination team for fruits and vegetables.
"There are stalls where virtually all employees are foreigners. Additionally, they are very good customers," he added.