The Spanish apricot campaign has served to confirm the bad production forecasts in general. The inclement weather recorded last May wreaked havoc on these fruit trees, decimating the harvest.
"I think we haven't managed to save even 20% of the production, but the few apricots we have harvested have exceptional organoleptic qualities," says Raúl Sanz, of Finca Señorío de Rioja, which has mountain farms adjoining the Sierra de Alcarama (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve).
"We mainly grow three varieties: Bergarourge, Orange Ruby and Moniquí. All of them have been hit by spring frosts. The cold arrived at the key moment of the fruit's growth, when it was already formed, but starting to grow. In these cases, saving the harvest is impossible."
At 800 meters of altitude, the growth of the fruits can be variable and surprising; a mystery, explains Raúl Sanz.
"At our experimental farm, we were carrying out tests with the apricot variety Ruby YARA. While the usual harvest has been disastrous in the valleys and the lower altitude areas, the Ruby YARA has achieved an exceptional performance and quality, probably because of being at a higher altitude. At more than 800 meters above sea level, the air currents and the winds that rock the fruit trees prevent frosts from forming permanently. Maybe this is a plausible explanation for the optimal results obtained at this altitude."
"For us, the losses have been marginal, since we diversify our crops. However, for many Spanish growers with large areas, it has been a real disaster," says Raúl Sanz, manager of the high mountain fruit producer.
"On the opposite side of the scale, the cherry campaign that has just finished has been exceptional, with unique calibers of up to 35-36. Now we are anxiously waiting for the Claudia plum to arrive next month. Given that it is a mountain plum, its Brix reaches 26 degrees. This year, quite unusually, we have been forced to do the thinning of the plum trees twice. Their growth was out of control. The volumes already looked promising a few weeks ago, when we had the prospect of reaching 150,000 kilos. Now we can confirm that this figure will actually be exceeded," says Raúl.
More information:
Raúl Sanz
Finca Señorío de Rioja
Polígono La Dehesa
Fitero 31593 Navarre, Spain
T: +34941194269
[email protected]
www.fincasenorioderioja.com
