FEPEX's Onion Committee met in Madrid to discuss the forecast for this current harvest and found that between 10% and 15% of the area planted had been reduced, on average in Spain, so a similar decline in production is expected.
In the meeting, conducted by the chairman of the Onion Committee, Alfonso Tarazona, other aspects were also analysed such as improving agricultural insurance for this production, as well as the position within the sector in the proposed reform of the CAP.
The Committee also analysed the data from onion production and export, highlighting the non-compliance with official statistics and existing production areas. The area designated for onion cultivation in Spain for 2011 has been 23,900 hectares approximately, according to the MAGRAMA data, based on estimates from the autonomous communities.
As for export, in 2011, Spanish onion exports amounted to 252,082 tons, 12.5% more than in 2010. The export value stood at 86.3 million Euro, 8% less than in 2010.
FEPEX's Onion Committee is composed mainly of associations of producers, exporters and Catalan onion traders (CEBACAT), Castilla-La Mancha (PROCECAM), Aragon (ACEPA) and ACEC, a national association that brings together producers from Spain and mainly from the Community of Valencia.
Along with these specific onion organizations, different fruit and vegetable partnerships are also part of the Committee. Those products are represented by different companies like the Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits
and Vegetables of Andalusia and Extremadura, Asociafruit, the National Association of Production and Trade of Fruits and Potatoes, ASONAL and the National Garlic Association of Producers and Distributors, ANPCA.
Source: Fepex