The stonefruit campaign kicked off with below average prices compared to previous campaigns, but slightly higher to those of 2014. "The good news is that the markets quickly absorbed the volumes at the start of the season thanks to good consumption levels and reasonable prices. Now, the overlap between different origins, like France, Italy, Greece, etc., is pushing prices down, affecting mainly nectarines and peaches, although the situation for plums is also starting to become complicated right now," explains Santiago Vázquez, of the Murcia-based company Vega de Cieza.
According to the producer and exporter, "Paraguayo peaches are registering slightly higher prices after four weeks of drops," although he expects this trend to be short-lived, lasting only until the start of the late campaign in Catalonia and Aragon. It is quite likely that prices for this product won't go up again in the coming years, since even greater overall volumes are expected due to the number of new plantations that have not yet reached their peak in terms of productivity.
Spanish apricots are also cheaper due to the impact of competition from other countries, as well as the lower price of other products within the stonefruit family.
"Apricots will become much less profitable in the next two years"
Vega de Cieza produces and sells only new varieties of orange-flesh apricots, which it exports up to September to all EU markets except Italy and France. "Apricots are a very delicate fruit and we don't make shipments that take more than six days to arrive, since that way we have better control over the quality of the goods on arrival. For us, this control is equally or even more important than prices."
In view of the great quantity of apricots planted in Murcia, Lleida, Aragon and Valencia, and "taking into account all that is still to come in the future," the market is expected to change drastically for many operators in about two years, when it may no longer be as profitable as it has been so far. The sector should definitely consider an adjustment of production volumes to prevent that situation, as well as the introduction of measures to stimulate fresh consumption.
"If the EU does not intervene, the end of the season could be a disaster"
"All markets have felt Russia's absence, if not directly, at least indirectly, especially in central Europe, which have been receiving massive imports of products which used to be intended for Russia, and whose pressure has finally taken a toll on supermarket chains," explains Santiago, who used to work with Russia before the introduction of the veto.
"We still have two months ahead in the stonefruit campaign and they will not be easy if the EU does not intervene with emergency measures to prevent a disaster like last year," pointed out the producer and exporter.