The first early spring potatoes are already being harvested in the Spanish municipality of Cartagena. The season is also a few days away from starting in Seville.
"We have already loaded the first truck of the early Soprano variety from Cartagena, although the volumes are still very limited," says José Peláez, manager of Sevillana de Patatas, a company specialized in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of early potatoes, with around 10,000 tons annually.
"It will take another 15 to 20 days before we start seeing significant quantities of early potatoes in Cartagena, and by that time we will also start harvesting the first potatoes in Seville," says José Peláez.
Although the planting in Seville was delayed by about 15 days due to rains in November and early December, Peláez says that "favorable temperatures during the winter and spring, with no frosts, have allowed the harvest to start on schedule."
"Moreover, we've had a good amount of rainfall after quite a long period of drought, so we've barely needed to resort to irrigation. However, the heavy rains during Easter have caused damage to some plots, which may have to deal with some fungus problems," he says.
"From the end of April and early May we will start having more consistent volumes of early potatoes in Seville," says José Peláez.
"The scarcity of seeds has been a determining factor at the time of planting for the current campaign. The limited supply has greatly increased their cost, and it has also made it necessary to look for different varieties. This, together with the uncertainty posed by the severe drought at the time of planting, has led to a slight reduction in the acreage in Seville."
For more information:
José Peláez Izquierdo
Sevillana de Patatas
M: +34 659454537
jose@sevillanadepatatas.com
sevillanadepatatas.com