In the more than 30 years that Jan van Bergeijk has been active in Spanish soft fruit cultivation, he has experienced many different seasons. However, the impact of this year's severe weather is unprecedented. "At the beginning of the 1990s, there were also periods of very heavy rainfall, but this is even more extreme," he says.
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"There has been a lot of rain in Huelva, as well as in Portugal. Wind damage and cold, damp conditions have caused major problems. When the wind gets under the raspberry tunnels, it blows everything over. Strawberries growing close to the ground receive so much water that they cannot cope. Quite a number of plots can be written off," says the grower.
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"Fruit is still being exported, but only in small volumes. Limited availability is keeping prices high, while fruit quality is far from ideal. However, because supply is scarce, trade is still moving quickly. Production delays are not helping the situation either."
"Many crops in northern Morocco are also underwater, making this a widespread issue. Greenhouses have been blown down, resulting in less fruit on the market. In addition, because the ports in Morocco were closed for several days, a large volume of fruit arriving on the market is five to six days old. The Agadir region has also seen more rainfall, although conditions there are less severe than in the north."
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"We will see what the coming weeks bring. Rain is still forecast for this week, but conditions should improve from next week onwards. Production will no doubt recover, but I expect many growers will try to extend their cropping period to recoup some of the costs incurred," says the commercial manager for raspberries within the Plusberries group.
For more information:
Jan van Bergeijk
Remolino Berries
Tel: +34 609 01 66 54
[email protected]
www.plusberries.com
