The strawberry acreage this season has returned to the levels recorded in the 2011 and 2012 campaigns, according to FRESHUELVA, while the acreage devoted to red fruits like raspberries, blueberries and blackberries registered an average 25% growth. Specifically, the acreage devoted to raspberry cultivation will reach 1,560 hectares, compared to 1,300 last year, which represents an increase of 20%. As for blackberries, the acreage will go from 70 to 90 hectares, which also translates into a 28.6% growth. Meanwhile, the blueberry acreage has increased by 27.8%, from 1,150 to 1,470 hectares.
At this time, in addition to the start of the strawberry campaign, the harvesting of autumn-winter raspberries is coming to an end, although the highest volumes for this berry are expected from March.
The strawberry group is one of the contact groups that were created under the Spanish-French Mixed Committee for fruit and vegetables; it was later joined by Italy in 2010 and meets on an annual basis.