The pomegranate campaign is already underway in Elche, in the province of Alicante, one of the main producing areas in Spain. The demand is good, despite the fact that the sizes are a little smaller than usual.
"Last week we started harvesting the first Smith pomegranates, and in early September we will start with the Acco variety," said Francisco Mas, commercial director of Frutas y Hortalizas Mas Serrano, a pomegranate producer and exporter based in Elche.
The size of these earlier varieties is usually smaller than that of mid-season or later varieties, and this has been more prominent this year, according to the grower and marketer, due to the impact of the drought and heat waves.
"This year, calibers 12 and 14 predominate, and the market mainly demands larger calibers, since it is used to larger varieties from overseas, such as the Wonderful. Until late September, when the later Acco, the Wonderful and the traditional Mollar will be harvested, there won't be much supply of larger sizes," said Francisco Mas.
"However, the demand is high in general, as the supply of southern hemisphere pomegranates, which are usually available until the end of August, finished much earlier than usual this year. European supermarket shelves have been empty for weeks and the market is craving pomegranates," he says.
The Spanish pomegranate supply will be somewhat reduced compared to last season, according to Francisco Mas. "Yields will be lower overall, due to the impact of high temperatures and water shortages. There were two periods of severe heat that caused the skin of part of the pomegranate production to burn, making the fruit impossible to market. However, we will be able to maintain our volumes compared to last year thanks to the new plantings coming into production."
The Alicante-based company will be able to offer the new Tastem variety, and its total volume continues to increase with red varieties such as the Smith, Wonderful and Acco, aiming to meet the growing demand in the countries to which they export. Meanwhile, the acreage devoted to the Mollar variety remains stable, with more than 80% of that production going to the domestic market.
For more information:
Francisco Mas
Frutas y Hortalizas Mas Serrano, SL.
Partida Daimes, P.l. 1 Nº 96.
03294 Elche, Alicante, Spain
T:+34 965 45 70 63
[email protected]
www.masserrano.es
