The Association of Producers and Exporters of Strawberries from Huelva, Freshuelva, has reported that the sector has finished the 2017-2018 strawberry campaign with a production totalling 280,300 tonnes, which entails an 8% drop compared to the previous campaign, even though the acreage grew by 9%.
The turnover, meanwhile, has amounted to 437,268,000 Euro, which also means a drop of almost 4% compared to the previous season. However, the strawberry campaign has come to an end with a higher average price (+4%), based on the statistical data supplied by the associated companies.
The volume harvested in the first quarter of the year was about 20% smaller than in the same period of the previous season, mostly due to the low temperatures of the month of January and early February and the rains recorded since the end of February and during the month of March. The weather in April was similar to that of the same month in the previous season, although with a higher volume of exports. In May, however, sales fell sharply from the middle of the month due to the higher maximum temperatures, as well as the competition from other producing countries in European markets, such as France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany or Belgium. In the month of June, these circumstances led to the end of the campaign.
To sum things up, the 2018 campaign has had a first part with weather issues that had an impact on the volume exported and a second part with a more coordinated and positive behaviour of production and demand.
As for other berries, the raspberry production has reached 19,170 tonnes, which is 2% more than in the previous season. Unlike last year, the price of this berry increased by an average of 4%, which has also translated into a 3.85% growth of the turnover, totalling 130,495,000 Euro. In this case, it must be borne in mind that the acreage planted with raspberries grew by 14.45%, reaching 2,212 hectares.
The development of raspberry exports (practically 95% of the production is shipped overseas) has been very regular during the first months and very similar to last season. However, during the month of May and the beginning of June, due to the arrival of the local productions of other countries and the increase of the volumes (as a result of the high temperatures recorded in late May), there has been oversupply and great competition in the markets, leading to significant price drops in the final stages of the campaign.
Meanwhile, the blackberry harvest started in late February with some small amounts, which increased somewhat in March, although the months with the greatest volumes were April, May and early June. In total, the production has been 3% higher than in the previous year, with a total of about 1,800 tonnes, although the price fell by 5%.
Lastly, the blueberry season has been marked by a 12% growth of the acreage, which has caused the volumes sold to increase by practically 15%, reaching 38,800 tonnes by the end of the month of June. The turnover has increased by 4%, even though the average price dropped by 3%. The harvest was carried out mostly in the months of April and May, when the temperatures were hotter.