The president of the Garlic Sector at Asaja, Miguel del Pino, reported that the province of Cordoba's garlic production this year will be reduced by about 15 to 20% due to the impact of drought and the acreage being reduced by about 40% compared to the previous season.
Also, approximately 10% has been left unharvested as a result of the rains in June, although the extent of the damage has not been as significant as in other parts of the country, such as Castile-La Mancha, since most of the garlic was already in the warehouses.
Del Pino, who is also vice president of the National Garlic Bureau, said that Cordoba is the first to hit the market with its garlic and also the second largest production area in Spain. In fact, last year's production amounted to between 30,000 and 35,000 kilos, which represents more than 30% of Andalusia's total, with Andalusia being the second largest producer in Spain.
However, 30% of the area planted with garlic in Spain won't be harvested this season as a result of the persistent rains recorded in late May and early June.
Del Pino made a forecast that applies also to the other three producing countries in Europe: France, Italy and Portugal, at the plenary meeting that the Joint Horticultural Committee of these three states and Spain. This meeting, held in Rome, served to address the conclusions of the contact groups of which the professionals of the respective nations are part.
"Spain has 27,000 hectares devoted to garlic cultivation, mainly in Castile-La Mancha and Andalusia, so the drop in the latter's production will result in a significant reduction in the number of kilos," said Del Pino.
Although the situation in the other three European producing countries is similar, the much lower productions, with Italy as the closest not even reaching 3,000 hectares, means that the impact there is not as severe as in Spain.
In any case, it is worth noting that garlic is one of the products that require more labor throughout the year, so any losses will have a significant impact on the generation of employment. In fact, Cordoba has been one of the most affected by this.
For more information:
Asaja Córdoba
www.asajacordoba.es