The production of stone fruits (apricot, cherry, plum, peach, and nectarine) which has just begun in Huelva, and that will continue in a large number of autonomous communities in the coming months, will have a high-quality and a little less volume than in 2016, when there was overproduction.
This has been reported to Efeagro Miguel Ángel Gómez, one of the members of the Stone Fruit Committee of the Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Live Plants (Fepex) and managing director of the Association of Fruit Growers Extremadura (Afruex).
Gomez said that, even though they can't make a reliable estimate of the production up until the middle of May, "winter and spring have been very good, except for some minor frosts." As a result, producers expect the fruit will have a good quality appearance and flavor.
Regarding the volume, producers say this campaign should be normal, as they didn't expect to have an overproduction, as in 2016, or a lack of fruit.
Gomez said that Fepex's Stone Fruit Committee was confident that the European Union would approve new aids this year to counter the Russian veto and increase plum shipments to China, which began last July and amounted to almost 800 Tons in 2016, 90% of which came from Extremadura.
The closure of the Russian borders to Spanish fruit, he said, "has affected and continues to affect the stone sector, especially that of Aragon and Catalonia, as it has caused a saturation of the market that can't be corrected. These are not annual plantings, these fruits come from trees in which producers have invested for years."
The stone fruit campaign started in Huelva with the early production of peach and nectarine and it will continue through Seville, Murcia, the Comunity of Valencia, Aragon, and Catalonia.
He said Murcia was the reference region for apricots, which are also grown in Catalonia, Aragon, Extremadura, and Seville, and that had a strong campaign in May.
Cherries
He said they still couldn't assess if Aragon would produce more cherries than the Jerte Valley (Caceres) in 2017. Last year, the season was shorter in the Jerte Valley due to rainfall; Alicante also has an important but inferior volume.
The plum campaign, which is collected mainly in Extremadura but also in Seville, Murcia, and Catalonia, peaks in mid-June. Meanwhile the reference areas for peach are distributed throughout Andalusia, Murcia, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Aragon, and Extremadura.
Stone fruit is the main non-citrus fruit crop in Spain. In 2016, the country exported 1,039,067 tons of stone fruit, i.e. 2% less than in 2015, valued at 1,095 million euro (-1%), according to Data from the General Directorate of Customs.
Of this amount, 418,814 tons corresponded to nectarine, 11% less than in 2015, amounting to 413.4 million euros (-8%). Peach exports amounted to 407,402 tons (+7%) and 387 million euro (+7%).
Plum exports amounted to 109,184 tons, the same volume as in 2015, worth 112 million euro (+ 4%). Apricot exports totaled 80,010 tons, the same amount as in 2015, and 115.3 million euro (+1%). Meanwhile, the country exported 23,657 tons (-31%) of cherry for a value of 67.5 million euro (-2%).
The EU accounted for 92% of Spain's stone fruit exports. Spain made its first shipments to China last summer, where it sent 779 tons of plum, 29 tons of peach and 22 tons of nectarine, according to Fepex.
Source: Efeagro