The berry campaign is underway in Huelva with scarcity in the raspberry supply due to the impact of storm Bernard in October, as well as a still limited supply of strawberries due to the delay and reduction in its planting, low temperatures, and few hours of light. As for blueberries, the campaign is still in its early stages, and overseas imports continue to dominate. The sector is waiting for rainfall to alleviate the severe drought, as well as for the construction of infrastructure to help salvage the current campaign.
"Strawberry plants were replanted in November in Huelva, something that, along with the cold, has resulted in significantly lower volumes than usual in December, which is usually a month with a limited supply," says Rafael DomÃnguez, manager of Freshuelva.
"As temperatures rise and there are more hours of sunshine, strawberry volumes will increase," he says. "It is worth noting that the strawberry acreage has been reduced by 5% in Huelva, where growers have tended to opt for local varieties."
Regarding raspberries, the supply in December has been significantly lower compared to the previous season and continues to be low, considering that the acreage has been reduced by more than 21% compared to the previous campaign, in which it already dropped by 7.5%.
"In October, storm Bernard directly affected the plantations already in production in Huelva, which has caused the volumes to be very low in the autumn months. This has coincided with a drop in the production of our direct competitor, Morocco, which was also affected by the storms," says Rafael DomÃnguez.
"We do not expect a lot more volumes until the beginning of the spring campaign, although there won't be a large harvest due to the reduction in the acreage," says the manager of Freshuelva. "Producers have suffered a significant loss of profitability due to Moroccan competition, whose raspberries are purchased in Europe at aggressive prices. This is very negatively affecting Spanish growers, especially due to the inequality of conditions in terms of certifications and the pressure of high production costs."
The extreme drought in the province has raised great concerns for this campaign and for future ones, especially since the 50% cut in the allocation of water for irrigation that came into effect this January. If it does not rain soon and the necessary infrastructure to supply water to the fields is not completed in time, the plantations could be heavily affected by the current campaign.