The high prices of artichokes reported by various auctions in the Spanish province of Alicante reveal that the available supply remains limited at the moment. "Due to the persistent heat and lack of rainfall, the harvest has been significantly delayed, which is why the little that is available is expensive. The volume will come all at once from February onwards, but the harvest should have already started at the end of December, so our campaign will finally be in full swing almost two months late," says Raúl Marín, an artichoke producer in Almoradí and member of the Grupo de la Vega cooperative.
At the moment, everything points to the campaign falling "short in terms of volume and duration," he says, "because by mid-February or March, the arrival of spring and higher temperatures will bring it to a close. Moreover, from March onwards, the market turns to colder areas for its artichoke supply, so any product that is not cut by March may be difficult to market."
High prices for small calibres
Taking as a reference the prices shared by Agro Verduras 2000, it is worth noting that, with more than 2 euros per kilo in the latest session, small calibers exceed export calibers by almost 40%.
It should be noted that the harvest kicks off with the upper artichokes, which are generally large in terms of size and are usually intended for export, but with the delay in the harvest, the lower artichokes on the plant, the small caliber ones, are precisely the ones that are scarce, because the cuts have not yet descended, says Raúl.
"As for varieties, the hybrid artichoke Green Queen is almost displacing the Blanca de Tudela. It is a variety that fails less and has a higher production, but most importantly, it is the one that all supermarket platforms are currently demanding, which is why its cultivation is expanding."
This year's artichoke campaign has been marked by a delay in the harvesting, so there are growing concerns about the possibility of the production overlapping with the French one, and consequently of exports being affected. But above all, it has been marked by drought. The situation is suffocating, and the lack of water is putting pressure on all growers in Alicante.
"If it doesn't rain or snow and the reservoirs are not refilled, we will see if we can plant this spring; although first we will have to see if we can save the winter campaign, which will finish in March/April."
"Between April and May we should start getting everything ready to plant pumpkins and sweet potatoes, but there is still a lot of uncertainty, because everything will depend on whether there has been rain or not by then."