With just over a month to go before the start of the kaki harvest in Spain, the production prospects are so far good in terms of yields and quality, with potential to reach around 340,000 tons. Kaki growers are dealing with increasing costs, mainly due to the fight against pests while also dealing with a drought that has been going on for far too long.
"At this point, we expect to have normal yields and good quality fruit, since there have been no incidents due to hail or other adverse weather phenomena," says Pascual Prats, President of the Spanish Kaki Association. "Nonetheless, it is still early days and, as has been the case in recent seasons, pests could still cause the production to fall between now and the start of the harvest."
According to Prats, kakis require increasingly more treatments and this is making the crop more expensive. "Kakis have become a very challenging and professional crop, with increasingly higher costs. Between 7 and 12 treatments per season are needed, which are very expensive and not very effective due to limitations on the use of active ingredients imposed by the EU. In this regard, we feel we are lacking support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). Taking all inputs into account, the costs amount to around 6,000 euros per hectare."
Also, the fruit's sizes could be affected by the drought if it doesn't rain in time before the harvest, especially in the areas with the most severe water shortages. That is the reason why, in general, a lot of thinning is being carried out in the fields. Pascual Prats also warns that, "for now, we can manage a new season with little rain, but if this situation continues next season, the consequences could be disastrous."
The few commercial operations with retailers prior to the start of the harvest are closing at around 0.45 euros per kilo, which is "a reasonable price," according to the president of the Kaki Association. "The seasons with over-production are now a thing of the past, because in addition to the production being reduced in recent years, plantations have been uprooted due to lack of profitability and pest damage, leading many people to go back to planting citrus fruits," he says.
Ten years have already passed since the Russian veto came into force. At the time, the ban had a significant impact on Spanish kaki exports, which had a good market there for the more standard quality fruit. During these years, some exporters have continued shipping to Russia indirectly via Belarus or Poland, but these operations now account for just a small share of the business, because the fall in the ruble as a result of the conflict has turned the country into an uninteresting market with an unpromising future. Moreover, according to Pascual Prats, countries closer to Russia such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey are gradually increasing their kaki productions.
For more information:
Spanish Persimmon Association
Calle Hernán Cortés, 4, 1.ª,
46004 Valencia, Spain
Tel.: (+34) 902 920 515
[email protected]
www.aekaki.es