The supply of open-field leafy vegetables is slowly being restored after having been under tremendous pressure in the past few weeks. However, the normalization of the production will take longer than desired due to the characteristics of the crop and the season's atypical weather, stated Jose Vera from Guiver Fruits.
"Leafy vegetables, such as lettuces, are not like other vegetables, such as tomatoes. The cold stops a tomato plant's development, and when it gets hot again, production recovers in about 3-4 weeks; but in lettuce, especially the one that has been contracted, the sowing is planned for weeks to be able to harvest product throughout the campaign."
"This year, the heat in autumn and part of winter advanced the lettuce harvest. According to many suppliers, it advanced it by up to 4 weeks. As a result, what was going to be harvested in January had already been harvested in December due to high temperatures," Jose stated. "When the cold came, the lack of product increased as the production of the plantations slowed down to their actual date. Production is recovering at the moment, but there is still a lack of Romaine, mainly."
"There's also a shortage of aromatic herbs, which is one of our main products for Europe. In addition to the cold, we've noticed that producers have planted less this year; the water issue has limited plantations, so there's been a smaller supply from the beginning. In fact, the price of aromatic herbs was already high before the cold snap."
The high temperatures also advanced other leafy vegetable crops, such as the oriental ones, which are mainly cultivated in the area of Valencia. The market has also experienced remarkable pressure due to the effects that the weather has had on the Spanish offer.
"The last few months have been very complicated. Lettuce and aromatic herb prices have been skyrocketing; industry contracts have been pressuring us, and we've had to look for alternatives with other suppliers. On some occasions, we've been able to solve the issue by replacing some products, for example, Batavia lettuce with Romaine lettuce. However, as marketers, the management of our customers' orders has been complicated. There were times when there was no product," Jose stated.
"Moreover, many suppliers have already stated that, even though everything is starting to normalize, the winter leafy vegetable and aromatic herbs campaign will end before it completely normalizes."
Jose Vera and Roman Guillen, from Guiver Fruits, at their stand in the last edition of Fruit Logistica 2023.
"We specialize in mixed pallets and air shipments"
From its headquarters in Los Alcazares, Murcia, Guiver Fruits manages the entire process of selecting and transporting Spanish fruits and vegetables for its export customers in Europe. "We deliver our products to our customer's door and specialize in mixed pallets and air shipments, which is what differentiates us from other agencies."
"This year, we realized that producers needed stability. Nothing can be done about the weather, but it is very important that producers have adequate prices at source, without the ups and downs, and the security of having enough water to be able to plan their crops. Everything would be much easier if they did."
For more information:
José Vera
Guiver Fruits
Tel.: +34 617 4377 729
j.vera@guiverfruits.es
www.guiverfruits.es