The strawberry sector in the province of Huelva, the main strawberry-producing region in Europe, is starting the first work in the fields for the next campaign. Last campaign, the sector produced 281,380 tons of strawberries, i.e. 7.7% more than in the previous campaign, and increased its total turnover by 7.5%. The sector expects to repeat these results in the new strawberry campaign, which will start at the beginning of October with the planting of seedlings in nearly 6,100 hectares, the same amount of hectares as in the previous campaign.
The general secretary of UPA Huelva, Manuel Piedra, said that farmers have been carrying out the process known as 'enlomado' of the fields for a few weeks and that this process would last until the beginning of September. "There were weeks in which the temperature was above 45 degrees, which shows the ability and effort producers and workers make to work and keep the farms in perfect condition," he added.
After completing this process, they will set up the irrigation facilities and structures - legs and arches - and, as of October, they'll plant the seedlings. The process will end in November with the placement of the plastic covers and roofs.
Piedra said that the number of jobs generated will depend on this season's berry production (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry production). However, he added, they forecast an increase in jobs this year, mainly because blueberry production is expected to increase.
The agricultural campaign in Huelva normally generates around 100,000 jobs. 80,000 of these jobs are in the countryside, and nearly 65,000 of them are performed by local labor, people from Eastern Europe, and Africans who are in Spain on the campaign trail.
Source: huelvainformacion.es