"We hope Ramadan boosts early fig sales"

"We expect normal harvest volumes and optimum quality in this campaign, which has started with good demand and lively sales," said Susi Bonet, of the commercial department of the Cambayas cooperative, which moves 450,000 to 500,000 kg of this product.

According to the exporter, although they come from the same tree, there is a difference between early figs and figs. Early figs are harvested during the month of June and are large, while figs are harvested in August and are smaller. 

The cooperative distributes its early figs in the domestic market and mainly exports them to France and Switzerland, which, according to Susi Bonet, are, by far, the countries that demand this product the most. "The Ramadan will soon begin and hopefully it will helps us sell more early figs, especially when we can concentrate on more volumes. It is a traditional product among European Muslims from North Africa," she said.

Since early figs have a very short shelf life, it's not very profitable to export them to distant countries, even though there is an interest for them in Middle Eastern countries, she added.

"These fruits are becoming well known and we have noticed that there is more demand every year, which is why the surface devoted to their production is also increasing around the fields of Elche. At the moment, our production is well controlled," Bonet stated.