Cherry producers in the Valencia Region expected this would be an excellent season, after several consecutive seasons with hardly any fruit due to drought or rain at the wrong time. However, the light rains at the beginning of the harvest season, and especially the heaviest rains in recent weeks, which were accompanied by hail in some areas, have reduced production and left losses of more than 3 million euros, according to provisional estimates from La Unió Llauradora.
© La Unió
The harvest in Alicante decreased by 400 tons below initial forecasts due to the impact of the rains, and Castellón will produce less than half of a more or less normal season. In addition, the high temperatures of the last few days have accelerated production, resulting in an accumulation of fruit on the market just when prices are at their highest. Cherry is a sensitive and delicate fruit, so the rain can cause it to crack, rendering it unmarketable.
"We need adequate tools, which we currently lack, and financial support from the administrations to deal with this situation. The Generalitat [Valenciana] has not even resolved the aid for last year's drought. Moreover, the current cherry insurance has become a serious problem rather than a solution for the sector because farmers don't think it's useful or that it protects them adequately against their biggest meteorological problem, persistent rainfall and lack of fruit set," La Unió stated.
© La Unió
Given this situation, La Unió is requesting that rain insurance coverage be by plot, not by farm. It's also proposing that the lack of harvest or poor fruit set, which is covered under "other climatic adversities", be maintained per farm, but that it should be per variety.
According to La Unió, producers are not interested in the current insurance for cherry crops because of how expensive it is due to the high loss ratio. In addition, cherry production is carried out on many plots located in different locations, altitudes, orientations, and with different varieties (some of which ripen before others), which greatly lowers the average damages insurance pays per plot.
Farmers in the Valencian Community have stopped taking out insurance. The latest data from 2024 indicates that only 118 farms insured their harvest, 22% less than in 2023; for a volume of 4.1 million kilos insured, 23% less than in 2023. "If cherry plantations are not insured and abandoned, the viability of the crop is in jeopardy. In just seven years (from 2017 to 2023), the area devoted to cherry cultivation in the Valencian Community has decreased by 14% (403 ha), going from 2,889 to 2,486 hectares," La Unió stated.
© La Unió
"We expected a very positive season this year, unlike in recent years. The continuous rains delayed flowering, which normally takes place in the second half of March, to the second half of April this year," stated Enric Simó, a cherry producer from La Unió. "The flowering started late. Then the hail spoiled much of the production. Many cherries didn't set," he added.
© La Unió
In addition, the increase in cherry prices this season is not compensating most producers because there is less fruit to be profitable. On the bright side, the recent opening of China to Spanish cherry exports brings future opportunities for the sector. "If Spain manages to become a reliable supplier, with differentiated and well-managed fruit, the Chinese markets could be a stable and highly valuable channel for our cherries in the coming years, as long as we solve some internal problems, such as insurance to prevent further abandonment of farms," La Unió stated.
For more information:
Carles Peris
La Unió
Tel.: +34 658 92 89 23
Email: [email protected]
https://launio.org
