The pomegranate campaign is about to start in Alicante with the harvest of the Smith variety, the first of the so-called early red varieties. "The Acco and Bigful will follow in a couple of weeks; then the Valenciana in mid-September, and later, in early October, the Mollar de Elche pomegranate will start to be harvested," said Juan Ramon Fuentes, of Frutas Fuentes 2022, SL.
"This year, the volume of these early varieties appears to be similar to that of previous years, and the calibers also seem good. In general, these are varieties that set very well and bear quite a lot of fruit, and whose size or external appearance are not significantly affected by the heat, unlike the Mollar, which suffers a little more and tends to turn white with the heat."
"Last year it rained a lot in March and many flowers from the first flowering, which are those that yield the largest calibers, fell from the trees. Consequently, the campaign fell a little short, but this spring there have been no major problems, so we can expect a good campaign in terms of volume and calibers."
It is worth recalling that Alicante is the main pomegranate producing region in Spain. According to data from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, a total of 50,000 tons were harvested in the province in 2022. This is 63% of the total national production, and was achieved despite the drop in the production caused by problems in the fruit setting, which reduced the production of Mollar de Elche pomegranates by 30%, as reported by the Regulatory Council itself.
"As far as sales are concerned, last year they went well during the first quarter, from October to the end of the year, but they stalled a bit in the beginning of 2023. In January, there is quite a bit of demand, and there are few pomegranates left, so sales are usually quite good, but this year it has taken a little longer."
"In this regard, we see that while pomegranates are not a difficult fruit to consume, they are not like apples, which you can eat in bites. It is a little more laborious to peel, and maybe people are looking to eat quickly, so in addition to fresh fruit, selling ready-to-eat arils could help boost consumption."
"Despite the fact that the campaign has not yet started, this year there are already people calling to show interest in buying the fruit. The market is craving pomegranates and everything points to a good demand this year."
For more information:
Frutas Fuentes 2022, S.L.
Elche, Alicante. Spain
Tel.: +34 96 663 19 19
[email protected]
https://www.hermanosfuentes.com
