The Spanish cherry season is getting underway as the harvests start in the early areas, such as Mequinenza and Caspe, in the Bajo Cinca region in the province of Zaragoza. In general, the harvest is kicking off a little earlier this year, and with a more limited supply of the earlier varieties.
"We started harvesting the first cherries on April 27, and volumes have been gradually increasing every day. The first exports have also already been shipped. From week 19 onwards, we will have more significant volumes," says Carlos Llambrich, Manager of Llamfruit Cherry.
© Llamfruit
"The strong winds in February, as well as some rains, have had an impact on the yields of the earliest varieties, both here and in other growing areas, which have even been hit by some storms. Nonetheless, we expect production levels to go back to normal from May 20 onwards," says Llambrich.
"We have some very interesting weeks ahead for cherries. The campaign has started with good demand, high prices, and plenty of interest from the market. So far, the weather conditions have been good, and we haven't had any setbacks. We are a little worried because of the rain forecast for the next few days, but we are increasingly less likely to suffer any problems," he says.
Llamfruit's first cherries are already on their way to European markets, and in the next few days, the company will be preparing its air shipments to the Middle East, where freight prices have increased as a result of the current conflict in Iran.
"This season, costs are higher for all inputs, and the same applies to transport and labor. Air freight has become more expensive, but we are now getting good offers to reach markets in the UAE, such as Dubai, or other distant destinations such as South Africa. I believe that our clients will be willing to pay the higher price for the product if they really want to consume it, since, after all, the difference isn¡t that great," says Carlos Llambrich.
The grower and exporter hopes for the first cherry shipments to China to be carried out this season. "Our fields and packing plant have been certified to allow us to export to the Chinese market in accordance with the established protocol, which includes a 15-day cold treatment. We are waiting for the green light from the Chinese authorities and looking forward to carrying out the first test air shipments this year."
Llamfruit has finished work on the expansion of its packaging plant, which now features new calibration and packaging lines. The company also continues to grow in terms of acreage. "Our aim is to go from the current 1.5 million kilos to more than 3 million kilos in the next five years, working with the same premium quality standards for which we are known in the market," says Carlos Llambrich.
For more information:
Carlos Llambrich
Llamfruit Cherry S.L.
Tel.: +34 618 996 701
[email protected]
www.llamfruit.com
