Last week was marked by the shipment of the first batches of nectarines, peaches and Paraguayo peaches from Murcia to the European markets, carried out by El Ciruelo, one of the few Spanish companies able to supply stonefruit grown in the open ground at this time.
"Our plantations of early varieties in Cabo de Gata, Almeria, and in Alhama de Murcia allow us to reach the market first, and also, unlike our competitors in Spain, with great volumes," explains Cristina Gutiérrez, head of sales at this Murcia-based company.
According to the exporter, the weather has had a very positive impact on the quality of the fruit this year, with harvest volumes that will grow thanks to the fact that no frost or hail has been recorded so far. "This year we have carried out a heavy thinning of the trees, aiming for larger calibres, which are the ones demanded by consumers," she points out.
The export of fruit will focus mainly on EU markets. "There is no longer any production from Chile, and Egypt and Morocco are finishing earlier than usual this year, so we are stepping into a relatively empty market, hungry for stonefruit," states Cristina Gutiérrez. "That's why we don't need to look for third markets right now."
Nevertheless, El Ciruelo will continue increasing its shipments to China, where the first plums were exported last season. "Last year we were finally able to ship the first batches of plums to this country, although the volumes were small because the signing of the protocol was done when we were almost finishing our campaign. This year we will export more plums and we will also ship peaches, nectarines and Paraguayo peaches."
The company will introduce innovations in the packaging this year, with formats featuring few pieces of fruit weighing less than one kilo and aimed at promoting the consumption of fruit among children.
More information:
Cristina Gutiérrez
Grupo El Ciruelo
M: +34 629 253 150
T: +34 968 630 645