Strawberry producers in the Algarve have begun the winter harvest, with initial volumes destined for a Dutch supermarket chain and later for Christmas markets across Northern Europe. According to producer Luís Rocha, "it's starting to get cold there, it's starting to snow, and so they have to buy strawberries in countries that are warmer, Portugal, Spain. Spain hasn't started yet, but we have their varieties here, and so we start producing earlier."
Producers report about 15 tons already earmarked for export. Remaining volumes will be sold in the domestic market, which typically imports more strawberries than it consumes from local production.
Earlier this year, producers in the region faced losses after offering or discarding 20 tons of strawberries that did not find buyers. Rocha said the current campaign shows improved conditions and noted that testing is underway for new domestic clients. "We are doing a test for Braga. We sent fruit two days ago. A client who contacted us due to last year's interview. He liked the fruit. The price is also good."
Portugal produces around 20 thousand tons of strawberries annually, but imports approximately five times more than it exports. Last year, nearly 13 thousand tons of strawberries arrived from countries such as Spain.
Source: News Room USA
