Broccoli appears to have become fashionable and many growers are choosing to plant it, turning their backs even on cauliflowers. "More broccoli is being planted than ever before, but not because the price is better or because the campaigns have been really good, but because their cultivation is much easier," explained sources from the cooperative El Raso de Calahorra.
No need to get wet to harvest them, as with cauliflowers; the product goes from the field to the tractor and from there to the cooperative. This year the campaign has been very bad in terms of price, "just like what happened with cauliflower," affirms Salva García, manager of the cooperative. At this time, the price stands at about 55 cents per kilo.
This campaign, the broccoli acreage has grown again in the region. "Every year, a few more hectares are added," explains a producer who started working with the product a decade ago. "Back then, there were even people who did not know what it was called," he assures.
The high national and (especially) international demand make broccoli a stable product, even though prices this year have not been any good in the winter season. For the spring varieties, prices at origin currently stand at around 55 cents per kilo.
Pending the arrival of greater volumes of summer vegetables, mostly from greenhouses, this week has been marked by the end of the fresh pea season, and there are also a few artichokes and asparagus left to harvest.
Source: larioja.com
