Malaga's avocado harvest season is in its final stretch, with a 20% increase in volume over the previous year. Production volume, however, still hasn't reached pre-drought levels. "The trees still have a lot of water stress," stated Antonio Rodriguez, COAG's Secretary General in Malaga. Despite the recent rains, recovery will depend on the water conditions in summer.
With the La Viñuela reservoir at 50.0% of its capacity, Juan Antonio Reyes Gutiérrez, president of the Spanish Association of Avocado and Mango Growers, emphasizes the need to push ahead with the desalination plant to ensure the economic future of La Axarquía. "There is a lot at stake. We cannot let our guard down now that the reservoir is in better condition," he stressed.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, recently visited Trops, a macro-cooperative that manages 40% of Spain's avocado production. Its leaders consider it essential to establish direct aid to guarantee generational renewal and make the farms profitable again. The decrease in kilos of the harvest does not compensate for the slight increases in fruit prices. The constant import of avocados in the global market affects profitability, with prices at source influenced by fluctuations in Mexico and the United States.
The eastern region of Malaga devotes some 10,000 hectares to subtropical crops, although the drought has stagnated the growth of avocado and mango farms. Andalusia concentrates 75% of the avocado area in Spain, with a production that covers just over 10% of European consumption. Last year, Spain exported avocados for almost 450,000 million euros, while importing another 635,000 million.
Source: laopiniondemalaga.es
