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Spain: Bigger tomato harvest

The exporting tomato harvest is going at a good pace. So much so that despite the plantation of less than 60,000 bushes, 500 tons more tomatoes are expected. This increase is due to fact that drought reduces the development of pests and diseases.



For now, it's a good harvest, concluded by Javier Manrique de Lara, agricultural technician for the last remaining cooperative of exporters resisting in Fuerteventura, "despite the raise in the oil price making the costs of fruit shipments to European markets higher". It's going so well that already they have collected the same amount as in the last harvest: 25,000 tons of tomato.

The harvest presents a novelty: the change in tomato varieties. Until now, farmers would plant the Daniela variety. Although, this year they opted to plant half Daniela and half with a new variety: Doroty. "This variety is more humidity tolerant, even if there was no rain this year and we could test if it's like so", said the agricultural technician of the cooperative. Doroty is a smaller tomato than Daniela, looking more like the typical Canary Island tomato. Each bush produces more and keeps the size longer, avoiding the need throw it away towards the end of the harvest.

The exporting price for tomatoes is also good for now. Tomato majorero is sent to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. About 40 farmers are part of this cooperative. Just two less than in previous campaign. The crisis also had its effects in the sector, but didn't force farmers to abandon their fields, though some decided to dedicate their harvests solely to the local market instead of exporting.

Farmers that send tomato to the rest of Europe are spread among the municipalities of Tuineje, Pájar and Antigua. They started this year's harvest by the end of October, a little sooner than usual, as "if you plant it late, the cold comes and doesn't allow the tomato to ripen". This is what happened last week. Only these last days, the fruit has become ripe faster.

Source: Canarias7
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