The leafy vegetable and brassicas season in Murcia and other eastern regions is now well underway with regular volumes to satisfy European markets. However, after a very good start to the season, demand towards the end of November has declined.
"The harvest started slower than last year because planting was carried out later due to the heat in August and September," stated Domingo Llamas, chairman of Unexport. "Yields have not been very high because there has been a lack of cold weather and rain. Now temperatures are starting to drop, but we still need more humidity," he added.
"Prices have been very good for lettuce since the start of the season, but now demand and prices are falling and are currently below production costs. We are waiting for them to pick up again," said Llamas.
"Broccoli is experiencing the same situation. We started with very good demand because the destination countries no longer had any production while Spain still had some supply because it was planted later. Prices were very good in the first half of November and we hope that they'll improve again next month," the chairman of Unexport stated.
The area of leafy vegetables and cauliflower is approximately the same as last season, but there may be about 30% fewer hectares of broccoli due to profitability issues and uncertainty about the availability of water, Llamas said.
"Water has never been abundant in the Region of Murcia, but this year it is really worrying for the entire sector. Restrictions in the Tajo-Segura water transfer could cause us a lot of harm this season. In addition, it's hardly raining and the few rains we're having take place in the areas closest to the coast, making it impossible to store the water. Thus, we don't know if we will be able to cover our water needs, especially in the spring months, when the days are longer and warmer," Domingo Llamas stressed.
For more information:
Domingo Llamas
Unexport
Polígono Industrial Juan Lucas,
C7 – Nave 4,
30816 La Hoya, Lorca, Murcia (España)
T +34 968 48 67 04
[email protected]
www.unexport.es