The berry supply is recovering in the Spanish province of Huelva after the impact of several storms that have caused significant damage to greenhouse infrastructures, leading to a significant reduction in the fruit supply in one of the most difficult seasons in living memory.
It's worth recalling that in the case of strawberries, Huelva's most representative product exports in December and January fell by 40% in terms of volume and by 28% in terms of value. Supply remained very limited in February, coinciding with the very important Valentine's Day campaign, but there has been a gradual recovery in March as the weather has been improving. Now there's a growing supply of strawberries from Spain, Italy, and Greece, but also from the Netherlands, causing prices to fall.
"At the beginning of March, we were still recovering from the impact of the storms, but supply has been increasing. From mid-March onwards, the weather has been warmer and spring-like, which has accelerated the production, and now the strawberry supply is even higher than it was in the same period of the previous season," says Rafael Domínguez, manager of Freshuelva.
"Therefore, prices have also been falling quite a lot and are below average compared to those of the 2024/2025 season, even though they had been higher than average up until the beginning of March. There has perhaps been a certain lack of coordination between demand and supply, which is resulting in a slow market at the moment," he says.
The demand for strawberries in the domestic market is expected to continue to increase in the coming days, as it is a very popular product in the days leading up to Easter.
Quality has also improved compared to previous weeks, when the excess moisture caused rotting, leading to some of the fruit having to be discarded.
As for raspberries and blueberries, the volumes marketed continue to be limited, below what they should be at this time of year, according to the Prices and Markets Observatory of the Andalusian Regional Government. Prices at the source are also reflecting this.
For more information: freshuelva.es
