This year's total cherry production at Valle del Jerte, in the Spanish province of Cáceres, which was affected by a heat wave in July, has reached 16.7 million kilos; a very similar figure to last season's, when 16.5 million kilos were harvested. According to the president of the Association of Cooperatives of Valle del Jerte, Ángel Prieto, the region's cherry producers have had to face a difficult campaign, firstly due to the early flowering, and secondly to the significant fall in the production of Picota cherries. It is also worth noting that due to being a late campaign, Jerte cherries have arrived to the European markets with a 10 day delay and it proved difficult to enter certain areas where Greek and Turkish firms were already established.
Nevertheless, Prieto stressed that the fruit's quality has been really good, and that the campaign's results for cherries with stems have been a pleasant surprise.
"We never expected to harvest more cherries than last season, but in the end the high altitude areas and the later varieties have given us a good yield, which is why the production has reached 16.7 million kilos, compared to the 16.5 in 2012," affirmed the president of the Association of Cooperatives.
Furthermore, Prieto confirmed that the harvest of the famous Picota cherries from Jerte will see a 50% fall in production compared to the previous season, with prospects to reach 4 million kilos.
Once the cherry season comes to an end, other crops take over the fields of Valle del Jerte which have brought very good results in recent years and for which the Association of Cooperatives has great hopes.
Claudia plums and raspberries, whose harvest has already begun, as well as fresh figs, all reach significant market shares and already account for 40% of the Association's total turnover.
Source: Abc.es