Murcia's Council of Agriculture estimates artichoke harvest volumes to reach 86,726 tonnes this season, which is a 1% increase compared to last year, according to data provided by the Agricultural and Statistical Associative Service, in partnership with the Council's Regional Agricultural Offices.
The general director of Industria Agroalimentaria y Capacitación Agraria (Agro-food Industry and Agricultural Training), Ángel García Lidón, stressed the importance of this crop for the Region, as "Murcia is the country's largest artichoke producer, with 42% of the national production, followed by the Regions of Valencia and Andalusia."
Spain is the European Union's second largest artichoke producer, with 24% of the total, only behind Italy, which grows 63%.
In 2012, Murcia exported 3,330 tonnes, which is 4% of the production. This percentage has remained at an average of 6% over the past ten years.
The value of exports last year surpassed the 5.34 million Euro and the main consumers of Murcian artichoke were Italy and France, which received 34 and 33% of the exports, respectively.
These are followed by Germany (14%) and The Netherlands (12%).
The total acreage for artichoke cultivation in the Region of Murcia has increased by around 14% in the past ten years, reaching 7,347 hectares as of 2012's data.
Source: Abc.es