The fresh artichoke marketing campaign in Tudela ended in May, while the canning campaign ended in early June. In this campaign, INTIA certified 1,459,309 kilos of artichoke, 695,646 kilos of which have been destined for the fresh market and 763,663 kilos for the canning industry; this means there was a 54% decrease in the volume of fresh artichoke and a 39% fall in the volume destined for the canning industry.
This reduction in the certified product was due to the impact that the continuous frosts at the beginning of the year, the floods that affected some plantations, and the strong heat recorded in the spring had on the production; but also to the low profitability of the crop due to the problems caused by the lack of plant protection products for the control of some pests and weeds, together with the lack of labor, and the increase in production costs.
According to Ana Juanena, INTIA certification director and secretary of the Regulatory Council of the PGI Artichoke of Tudela: "Even though the plots were not as profitable as we desired, we should highlight the efforts of all the parties who market this product to publicize the Artichoke of Tudela. We should also highlight the National Congress held in April on the Navarre variety Blanca de Tudela, the projects to control the effects of pests on artichoke, and the good prospects for the next campaign with a foreseeable recovery of the certified quantities."
It should be noted that, according to data provided by the Regulatory Council of the PGI Artichoke of Tudela, a total of 85 farmers with 487 plots cultivated 638 hectares of artichokes in Tudela this season.
Source: diariodenavarra.es