Floods, especially those of the Ebro in late January, and the weather conditions in recent days, have taken a considerable toll on the artichoke campaign in some parts of the region of La Rioja, especially in coastal municipalities. One of these is Calahorra, where "the yield this year has been half of the usual for the spring campaign," explains Salvador García, manager of the cooperative El Raso de Calahorra.
The problem was not only the flooded crops, but also that the weather conditions have been far from ideal. "It was very cold at the start of the campaign, and the sweltering heat of the past couple of weeks has been the straw that broke the camels back," he explains.
While the average price of a dozen artichokes in the 2014 campaign was of around 72 cents, this year it has reached 1.25 Euro. During much of the campaign, the price per kilo has also stayed around the 70 cents. "But these prices without the necessary volumes to supply our clients are useless," explains García.
Another time when prices were higher, in addition to the beginning of the campaign (due to product shortages), was the first week of May, when a dozen artichokes cost 1.15 Euro and the price per kilo stood at 65 cents.
In La Rioja, in 2012 (last year with official statistics from the Council of Agriculture), there were a total of 200 hectares devoted to artichoke cultivation, of which 168 are located in La Rioja Baja.
Source: Larioja.com
