Spain: Huelva's strawberry campaign starts taking shape

The strawberry harvest is well underway in the province of Huelva, with more significant volumes that are being sold to both domestic and European markets. Last week, strawberry prices at origin stood at an average of almost 3.40 Euro per kilo, according to the Prices and Markets Observatory of Andalusia.

"At the moment, we are marketing strawberries of the Fortuna variety. Strawberry prices at origin are usually high at this time, since the production peak will not be reached until the months of March and April," says Sergio Manzanares, director of Frutas de Huelva, a trader of berries and other products of the province of Huelva. "The weather has been favourable to ensure a good production," he adds.

The Huelva-based trader is specialised in wholesale distribution in Spain and in exporting, mainly to the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy. At the moment, they are competing with the strawberries from Egypt and Morocco in these markets. "In recent years, there has been a growing presence of Egyptian strawberries in markets such as Germany and the Netherlands, but Huelva's strawberries still enjoy a very good reputation that helps them stand out."

This year, the strawberry acreage has grown by around 8% in Huelva after three consecutive years of declines, which may have a slight impact on prices when the campaign reaches its peak. "This is mainly due to the oversupply of blueberries recorded this past season in Huelva, which has pushed prices down. Producers are consequently going back to strawberry cultivation and we hope we'll see a balanced campaign for all berries."

For more information:
Sergio Manzanares
Frutas de Huelva
M: +34 630 903 800
[email protected]
www.frutasdehuelva.com