The prices paid to summer fruit producers in the Region of Valencia have plummeted on average by 45% since the beginning of the campaign, while consumers are paying an average difference of more than 300% for these same products, according to data collected by LA UNIÓ de Llauradors.
According to official data from the Council of Agriculture, peach prices have recorded a 62% decline, while nectarines have fallen by 53% and apricots by 47%. Paraguayo peaches have recorded the lowest drop, with 20%. Meanwhile, Burlat cherries have become 40% cheaper since the beginning of the campaign.
According to various sources, prices will continue to fall to levels even lower than last season, which would entail serious economic losses for Valencian producers. It is worth bearing in mind that the harvest forecast pointed to a production totalling about 30,600 tonnes; 23% less than last year, "so we are suffering both a drop in the production volume and lower prices, without also taking into account the impact of the storms of recent weeks."
This trend, however, contrasts with the prices paid by consumers in supermarkets and other large retailers. A comparative study carried out by the technical services of LA UNIÓ, with data from different supermarkets established in the Region of Valencia, reveals that the average price of summer fruit during the first week of June is 3.30 €/kg, while the average price paid to producers is 1.04 €/kg. This means that there is a gap of over 300% between what the grower perceives and what the consumer pays.
Cherries are the crop with the greater price disparity, with a 460% gap, followed by apricots, with 400%, peaches, with 313%, nectarines, with 305%, and Paraguayo peaches, with 181%.
LA UNIÓ criticises the great speculation that affects fruit prices, higher than in other agricultural sectors, and requests "the eradication of speculative practices, as they are putting the future of Valencian summer fruit producers in clear danger."
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