Spain: Exports save sales of Cooperative's fruit from dropping

Exports to Germany, Russia and Eastern Europe are saving the sales from dropping for varieties of stone fruit (peach and nectarine) by cooperatives in Lleida. So, external operations are 80% of the total production, explains Raúl Sales, from "Unió de Pagesos (UP)". He underlines that "prices received by us doubled regarding last year," despite, as he recalls, "in the last campaign prices were quite low due to effects from the E.coli crisis."

High temperatures in these last days could favor the raise in consumption in Central Europe, one of the main clients for this fruit, even if Sales says that "the best news for producers is that prices are kept until the end of September."

In the same line of thinking, the president of the "Associació d'Empresaris Agraris de Lleida (AEALL)", Pere Roqué, assured that this year the production is on normal quotes. "It's not a reason to party", he clarifies. He agrees with Sales that costs and profit in the last campaign are unacceptable.

Apart from the fact that when the temperature rises in Europe sales are improved, Roqué says that it's needed to recover the national consumption. Because of it, he talks about starting a campaign based on the healthy properties of the fruit. Even if the president of ASAJA acknowledges that the market's behaviour is a mystery because of the crisis context.

The present peach campaign started in Lleida by the end of May, with a delay of 7 to 10 days regarding a normal year. As for the Paraguayo varieties 0.45 and 0.50 Euro cents per kilo is paid, double than in 2011. Farmers say that "the strong part of the campaign starts now," when peach, nectarine are out on the market. Later will come pear and apple and they can evaluate if prices keep on following the tendency.

Source: Lavanguardia