The Region of Murcia concentrates almost half of the national artichoke production. Lorca and Cartagena produce 45% of the 220,000 tons that the country produces per year.
Despite the increase in production of other varieties, such as broccoli, which has experienced great growth in recent years, artichoke production continues to be important in places like the Valley of Guadalentin.
"The artichoke is a vintage crop because it's always been here, but we want to make it a gourmet product," said the president of Spain's Artichoke professional association, Antonio Galindo, which groups the different producing areas.
According to Galindo, artichoke is recovering its traditional role in Murcia's countryside, despite the obstacles it is facing to maintain exports of canned artichoke to different markets, such as the United States.
"We are struggling to maintain these markets because of the supply from other producing countries, such as Peru or Egypt, where production and labor costs are cheaper," he said.
This group of producers has asked the Regional Government to support them to ensure that the tariffs for export to the US market, which currently hover between 15 and 17%, can continue to decline. "This would allow us to export more product," Galindo said.
Source: cadenaser.com