The stone fruit campaign is already at a very advanced stage in Catalonia, with smooth sales thanks to a good demand and with better prices than at the start. High temperatures, water deficit and difficulties in finding laborers are the main hurdles for Catalan stone fruit this year.
"The start of the harvest was brought forward due to high temperatures during the spring and summer, so there was a greater overlap with the earlier producing areas, especially the Region of Murcia," says Manel Simón, director of Afrucat.
Also, according to the representative of this organization, the heat and restrictions on the use of water for irrigation due to its scarcity in different growing areas of Catalonia has resulted in a high percentage of small-caliber fruit in the earliest phase, which put strong downward pressure on prices, especially for the smaller sizes.
"To top it off, there has been a higher than expected presence of pests such as thrips and flies in nectarine crops and, to a lesser extent, in peach crops, so there have been greater product losses and lower volumes than initially estimated," he says.
However, as the season has progressed, a greater balance has been observed in the distribution of sizes. "From mid-July onwards, larger fruit began to be harvested, and now sales are smoother, while prices have risen to offset the high production costs and the greater wastage. Although stocks accumulated in June, from mid-July until now the situation has been managed without any hiccups," said Manel Simón.
Another of the handicaps that the director of Afrucat mentions as one of the most important this season is the shortage of laborers. "It is important to be able to find enough workers. In the previous campaigns, there was a significantly lower production due to the impact of climatic adversities, but this year, with normal volumes, we have suffered remarkably because of this problem."
"The season's results will strongly depend on the situation of each producer. If they have had more balanced calibers in June and a lower impact from pests, they have a higher chance of being satisfied," said Manel Simón.
For more information: www.afrucat.com/ca/
