The Spanish Golden apple campaign is going through difficult times due to the big volume in stock, with a predominance of medium and small sizes which, together with some quality issues, is making the fruit's marketing very difficult.
"The campaign started slowly after the harvest. In general, the sector was over optimistic with its expectations for the 2016/2017 campaign, so a lot of apples were kept in storage, waiting for a price increase," explains a Catalan producer and exporter.
"This has led to the chambers being too full at the moment, so prices are low for both the fresh market and the processing industry," he adds. "We would need a consensus on the part of the whole sector to obtain better prices for the apples for processing and prevent a price war that is hurting us," he affirms.
The closure of the Algerian market and Egypt's low imports have also negatively affected the marketing of Golden apples, while Poland's abundant supply this year and the continued Russian veto has also contributed to the flooding of the European market.
Meanwhile, the Gala campaign has almost finished. Red apples are selling at a pace similar to that of the previous season, while the Granny Smiths are starting to rebound, as demand is rising above supply. Fuji apples are still in high demand.
According to data provided by Afrucat, production in Spain has been 3% higher this year compared to the harvest forecasts, totalling 496,800 tonnes. By provinces, Catalonia has increased its production by 11%, Aragon had a similar harvest, Murcia recorded a 25% increase and Castile-Leon and La Rioja recorded 3% drops.
Catalonia's production accounts for 62% of the total, while Aragon supplies 20% and Castile-Leon 6%. By varieties, Golden apples continue to be the most cultivated, accounting for 55% of the total. They are followed by Red apples, Fuji, Granny Smith and Reineta.
Spain imports double the amount of apples that it exports. France is still the largest supplier, with 104,000 tonnes, and is followed, more and more closely, by Italy, with 91,014 tonnes this year. In recent campaigns, Spain has been giving a boost to apple promotions in the domestic market, although many in the sector agree that much still needs to be done.
Spain exports apples to 82 countries, mostly to Portugal, France, Brazil, Morocco, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Colombia.