Spain: Early end of the season for kakis with better prices

"We will finish the campaign earlier because it also started earlier this year due to the heat, which led to periods of oversupply in the market in October, with low prices that didn't recover until December. However, the average price is slightly higher this year than last year," states Masià.

"Overall, kaki sales are growing in Europe. This year, the temperatures have contributed to boosting demand. What the sector is seeking is to escape from traditional markets to prevent oversupply in Europe and mitigate the impact of the Russian veto, since Russia was an important market for large calibre standard categories."

"We are promoting exports to Canada, the U.S., Brazil, the Middle East and Asia, where we have been conducting tests for two years. Just like with stonefruit, which will also gain access to China in the next campaign, we are in discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture to expedite the negotiations of the necessary protocols that will allow the entry of our kakis. It is worth noting that China is the world's largest producer of this fruit, with more than 3,800,000 tonnes per year, so there is great knowledge about the product and consumption levels are high."

Growers are still enthusiastic about kaki cultivation, which continues to grow in Valencia and Andalusia. According to Vicent Masià, "the considerable increase of the kaki acreage should not be a reason for alarm, as long as producers and marketers are organised, either in associations or interprofessionals, to guarantee good returns for all links in the chain."

While countries such as Italy, Portugal and Morocco are also increasing their plantings, Masià states that "there are still no significant volumes from these origins that could effectively compete with us."