The National Association of Garlic Producers and Marketers (ANPCA) met on July 26 within the framework of the International Garlic Fair of Las Pedroñeras. The goal was to analyze the development of the 2019 garlic campaign and its development in recent months, as well as to address other topics of interest.
“The 2019 garlic campaign is taking place under very favorable conditions, both in terms of production, with dry weather during the harvest, and marketing, with smooth sales that are making it possible to make a profit,” says Mr. Amador Gálvez, president of ANPCA. “The purple garlic campaign is about to come to an end in Castile-La Mancha and soon we will have almost all the garlic in storage, waiting for the end of the harvest of the remaining garlic varieties in the regions further north of Spain, such as Castile-León,” he says.
Regarding the marketing, one of the points addressed at the meeting has been the MERCOSUR-European Union trade agreement. The initial agreement foresees the establishment of a tariff-free quota of 20,000 tons between both markets for 8 years, which will give Spain easier access to its main garlic export market (not counting European markets): Brazil. The agreement, valued positively by the sector, is not currently in force, and the meeting served to discuss its implementation schedule, its operation and the different meetings that will be held in Brussels in order to ensure its application in a manner that is favorable to the interests of Spain, Europe's main exporting country.
The ANPCA is currently the voice of more than 1,800 producers and of Spain's 65 most important garlic marketing companies, which together account for 73% of the total volume marketed by the country, reaching a cultivated area of 13,250 hectares.