The Minister of Agro Industry and Technology for the province of Mendoza, Marcelo Costa, presented the Fruit Production estimates for the 2014-2015 season. The estimates are good for producers.
According to Costa, there will be a 20% decrease in average in the harvest. Thus, he said, "There will be good prices for producers."
The lower the production, the higher the fruit prices rise. These numbers, however, will be far higher than in the previous season (2013-14), as the production was dwindled by the strong frosts at the time of flowering and fruit set. Hence the comparison is true for the statistics of the 2012-2013 season.
According to this study, the 2014-2015 season's harvest in the province will amount to 608,932 tons.
The peach industry will decrease its production by 16%, the plum industry will have a 19% drop; pear production will fall by 25%, and peach for consumption will drop by 13%. Total production, however, will be lower than estimated in the forecast because of the natural losses and the harvest's thinning.
"Producers will get a good price due to the decline in production. There's also going to be an economic recovery because there's no stock. Let's not forget that we had to import peaches for domestic consumption this year," said the Minister of Agro Industry and Technology.
"We are working with the Department of Commerce to prevent a price increase. We're also talking to the industry chambers to reach agreements so producers receive a corresponding price," said Costa.
The Institute of Rural Development (IDR) develops the Fruit Production estimates. This calculation measures the productive area per species and variety, based on the data from the 2010 Provincial Fruit Census to determine the current productive age of the cultures. The information for the peach industry was collected from the 2014 Peach Manufactures Industry Census. Furthermore, the surfaces for eradication are adjusted based on the data from the forecast.
Source: Los Andes