The pear harvest is about to begin in El Bierzo, some 10 days before it started last season. According to the technical director of the Conference Pear Guarantee Mark and the Bercian Association of Farmers, Pablo Linares. He told InfoBierzo that, even though they expected production would be 20% lower than in a normal campaign, they estimated this year's production would stand between 11 and 12 million kilos.
According to Linares, the harvest will begin towards the end of the month, between August 24 and 27. The quality of the Conference pear will be the best of the last 4 or 5 campaigns and of a higher caliber because of this season's weather conditions, he stated.
Winter was mild in El Bierzo. This advanced the flowering and the thermal amplitude helped the fruit to ripen. "In addition, the mild summer has helped the trees work better. When the temperatures are higher the fruits don't grow as much," he stated. In fact, the weather has helped the fruit grow more so we expect higher caliber than in other campaigns, he added.
Source: infobierzo.com