Catalonia's open ground cherry harvest has been delayed by around 10 days in the earliest areas in the face of a market that is "hungry" for this product. Forecasts point to a good harvest in general, as long as weather conditions remain favorable.
"Although we started in mid-April with some limited volumes of the first ultra-early cherry harvests under plastic, the harvest of the extra-early varieties in the open ground, and with which we'll be able to start the season with significant volumes, has been being delayed by around 10 days," says David Manero, a partner in Cerima Cherries, a company from Tarragona specializing in cherry production and sales.
© Cerima Cherries
"We hope to start this weekend, in the first week of May, when we would usually start on April 22," says David Manero. "The cherry market is still empty, and we are receiving calls showing plenty of interest in starting the season now."
"With the exception of some varieties that were affected by the heavy rains in March, we have had a good fruit set and we are expecting a good harvest of early varieties and good quality," says the grower and exporter. "The rainfall has generally had a positive impact, as we had been dealing with some severe drought in recent years. However, from now on, if it rains, it would be detrimental," he says.
Cerima Cherries has around 540 hectares devoted to cherry cultivation, with a production schedule that runs mostly from the last week of April to late June.
"We are planting more cherries every year, trying to extend the campaign while also expanding our packing facilities to be able to supply the best quality cherries for the longest possible period. Cherries are a difficult, high-risk crop that requires hard work from many people in a short period of time, and because of this, it is increasingly in the hands of fewer and fewer growers," says David Manero.
For more information:
David Manero
Cerima Cherries
Tel.: +34 977 418 346
[email protected]
www.cerimacherries.com
