Although the supply of Spanish lettuce from the country's main production areas was a little more limited between December and the first week of January, the situation has changed completely since the second and third week of January.
"The demand had been higher than the supply due to the low temperatures recorded during the month of December. With the arrival of the heat, however, the situation has changed completely, and for 10 days there has even been more supply than demand, which is why prices are not at the most optimal level," explains Javier Soto, president of the lettuce department at Proexport, the Association of Producers-Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables of the Region of Murcia.
Contrary to what some British media outlets have published, assuring that lettuce prices would skyrocket due to the continuous frosts in Murcia, Javier Soto says that the leafy vegetables campaign has been very stable in terms of supply.
"It is true that many growers in Murcia, especially those producing broccoli and cauliflower, have been forced to plant in higher areas with greater risks of frost due to the lack of water; however, this is not the case for leafy vegetables, whose supply is relatively stable this campaign, as we have more water available and of better quality," he says.