After a difficult start due to a lack of consumption, Murcia's stonefruit campaign is now developing normally just two weeks before 80% of the total production has been marketed.
"Prices have suffered compared to last year, especially for peaches and nectarines, due to lack of consumption in Europe and low temperatures. Plums, apricots and flat peaches have reached more reasonable prices; however, in the case of flat peaches, the bulk of the production has yet to be harvested, and thus price drops are expected in the coming days," explains Joaquin Gomez, manager of APOEXPA (The Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, Table Grapes and Other Agricultural Products of Murcia).
However, "at this time prices have registered a small increase, as demand has increased and Murcia, which is the main producer, has less and less produce available," he adds.
According to Joaquin, "it is being a good year in terms of quality, despite the lack of rainfall; "the absence of frosts or hail has resulted in no harvest losses, unlike in previous years, with good yields and a very uniform quality."
"The flat peach production growth should be stopped for a while"
"Even though flat peaches have existed in Murcia for over 50 years, the region's commitment to introducing new apricot and flat peach varieties has allowed it to supply distributors with products characterised by more intense flavours and aromas, as well as a longer shelf life and stronger resistance to transport," affirms Joaquín Gómez.
Besides Russia, which is currently its largest consumer, "flat peaches are entering export markets that were unthinkable barely five years ago due to the fruit being completely unknown, such as the United Kingdom or Germany. Large-scale flat peach programs are currently carried out by a number of retail chains in these countries, promoting their consumption through special offers."
"The Murcian produce has the advantage that neither in the rest of Spain nor in other countries is there an overlapping flat peach production campaign. Italy chose not to grow it at the time and now, even if they came to realise its potential, it would be too late," he continues.
It is definitely a well-demanded product and this has led to an unprecedented increase in production volumes in Spain. Over the past 5 years, Murcia has gone from 10,000 tonnes per year to nearly 50,000 tonnes, while Lleida's production stands at around 100,000 tonnes. However, Joaquín warns that if the production continues to grow at this rate, the business could be in danger as a result of the product losing a great part of its value.
"It is harder to open new markets for any product than to increase its production volumes. I believe that given the current consumption trends, growers should stop this production boom until the markets able to absorb it appear."
