Spanish producers finished planting garlic several weeks ago. Now, they are hoping that this year's weather conditions will be favorable for the crops.
“We grow our garlic in the area of Ciudad Real, where we have different farms in production,” stated Interajos, the company from Extremadura that is based in Aceuchal, the autonomous community's garlic hub. “The crops have shown adequate growth to date, but we'll only find out how the product is once we start the harvest because there still are a few months in which it must get fat and everything will depend on the rains and the temperatures there are in that period.” In fact, these months will be decisive in the definition of the next marketing campaign, which the sector expects will be better than the current one, as the market is not good right now.
“We still have quite a bit of small-caliber garlic stocked from the past harvest and the prices at which we are selling them are barely covering costs because production costs have increased.” In
addition, there is more and more “healthy” competition at the international and national levels, Interajos stated. “As a result, we decided not to expand the area this year, but to reduce it, from 100 hectares last season to 80 this season.”
“Up to February, the price at which we have sold garlic to Portugal has ranged between 2 and 2.20 euro per kilo; a very low price compared to other years,” they added. “We also have customers in Spain, but most of the fresh and peeled garlic we work with is exported to Portugal.”
"Most of Extremadura's garlic companies are very focused on the Portuguese market, which is only 60 km away. In fact, Portugal also produces garlic, but it is mainly produced by Spanish companies.”
“Garlic producers shouldn't sow garlic in the same plot two campaigns in a row because the land rest. Therefore, the companies here in Extremadura, after growing garlic over the years, are moving the crop to areas of Castilla-La Mancha such as Ciudad Real, in our case, and also to Portuguese lands.”
For more information:
Interajos S.L.
Camino del Monte s/n
06207 Aceuchal (España)
Tel.: +34 649 925 103
info@interajos.com
https://interajossl9.webnode.es