Mercabarna wholesalers specialized in the sale of calçots (a type of spring onion) expect to sell a 5% greater volume than in the previous campaign and reach the 15 million units sold; an unprecedented volume for this wholesale market. There has been a good production, despite the rains in autumn, and the weather has been good in the weekends this February, which motivates consumption. Moreover, exports are on the rise and already account for 20% of the product's distribution.
Since the 2016-2017 season, calçot sales have been experiencing an unstoppable boom.
"Even though the autumn rains made us fear for this season's production, the truth is that this has so far been an extraordinary season in terms of sales and we hope to reach the 15 million units distributed," explains Josep Pañella, wholesaler specialized in calçots of the Fruit and Vegetable Wholesalers' Guild of Mercabarna AGEM.
If the 2017-2018 season was already extraordinarily good with the sale of 14.4 million units (according to statistical data from Mercabarna), this campaign, as long as nothing unexpected happens, sales will increase by 5% and reach the 15 million units. Wholesalers and producers also agree that with Easter taking place in mid-April, there will be consumption for longer. Furthermore, the mild temperatures in the weekends this winter and the product's stable prices motivate the celebration of "calçotades" in homes and restaurants
Regarding exports, which have been growing significantly for 3 seasons, the AGEM estimates that the upward trend will continue. According to Eva Cano, entrepreneur of Mercabarna's Fruit and Vegetable Wholesaler's Guild, "we believe that this year, exports will increase by between 4 and 5%. The growth will not be as strong as last year's, when it stood at 15%, but the upward trend continues."
The calçots from Mercabarna's Central Market are exported mainly to France, Belgium and Germany. Also noteworthy are the sales to the London market, where calçots have become popular in restaurants and select food product stores. In the rest of Spain, the gastronomic interest in calçots is already a consolidated reality. Restaurants in Madrid, Aragon and the Balearic Islands are already common destinations for this onion.
About 7 million certified calçots
The fifty growers of the Calçot de Valls foresee that, of the total certified production (around 14 million units this campaign), 50%, that is, about 7 million, will be sold in Mercabarna's Central Fruit and Vegetable Market, which is one of the main platforms for the distribution of this product. The counties of Alt Camp, Baix Camp, Tarragonès and Baix Penedès, which make up the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Calçot de Valls, are the main origins of the calçots in Mercabarna.
The secretary of the PGI, Joan Antoni Linares Torres, explains that "we are having a very good campaign, and it is also expected to be a long one." Linares added that "there has been little rain and we are having a dry campaign, and this contributes to reducing the need for phytosanitary products, which is good for the product's quality." For her part, Eva Cano, member of AGEM specialized in calçots, explains that "the calçot de Valls is a product that is highly appreciated by retailers."