The situation for stonefruit marketers and producers this year is far from normal. "We are in a year in which there will be many production peaks, although the prices of the products that are currently on the market are already fixed," explains Gil. To this we must add the fact that there are practically no sales, which means that prices can't go up. For example, "last week, we almost didn't have enough nectarines to cover the market demand; however, prices only increased by about 0.05 Euro, instead of the 0.30 Euro which would have been normal," adds Gil.
At the same time, "the producers of the area (Almunia) are not having enough kilos, since last year the trees did not hibernate, as there was a lack of cold, and that caused them to suddenly age three years," explains the representative of Agrícola Gil. As a result, the flowering has been weak and the tree has only produced the fruit that it could maintain. "I believe that the prices offered are not high enough, given the little volume; the market has become destabilised," affirms Gil.
The paraguayo peach campaign kicked off with a price of 1 Euro per kilo, compared to 1.60 Euro last year. "This year, we are seeing a difference of about 0.60 Euro in everything, to which we must add worse sales and the fact that, in many situations, it is also impossible to bring the price down because growers are already losing money," says Gil.
For more information:
Primitivo Gil García
Agrícola Gil S.L.
Tel.: +34607900910