Spain: Kaki harvest to reach 200,000 tonnes in Valencia

Despite the adverse weather conditions registered in Valencia, such as heat waves and hail storms, which have caused plenty of fruit to drop and consequently a 10% reduction of the original estimate, the kaki production in the upcoming campaign is still expected to exceed 200,000 tonnes for the second consecutive year, according to a technical study from the Valencian Growers Association (AVA-ASAJA), which also concluded that the lower number of fruits per tree will, however, allow for excellent calibres, ideal for marketing in the major European markets.

The acreage and productive potential of this subtropical crop are registering an average annual growth of 20%. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Valencia accounts for 88% of the national acreage, with 11,862 hectares, compared to 9,580 hectares in 2013 and 7,995 hectares in 2012. But even though many young orchards (four or five years old) are starting to produce at full capacity, harvest prospects have been falling as the sector has been detecting fruit drop, first in adult trees and eventually also in these new plantations, where it is even more intense, affect more than half of the fruit in some plots.

Behind this decline in productivity per hectare are the adverse weather conditions during the spring and summer. The May heat wave caused problems during the fruit setting. To this we must add the specific damage caused by hail storms in late May and the second half of July in regions like La Ribera, La Vall d'Albaida and La Costera. The incidence of other weather-related factors, such as low rainfall, has not helped to improve prospects for the season.

The downward trend in production estimates and the good calibres allow for favourable business prospects. For several months, traders have been closing purchase and sale transactions in order to have a sufficient quality supply to meet the first orders. To this end, AVA-ASAJA encourages producers to maintain decent prices that can allow them to alleviate the economic difficulties caused by other products.