Spain: Artichoke season saved by canning industry

"The high temperatures cause the production to accumulate, preventing the harvest from taking place in stages, as planned. The key is that artichokes are a winter crop, so the heat, accompanied by more sunshine, has led to a faster growth of the plants and to the calibre of the flowers being smaller this year," explains Diego Martínez, president of the Asociación Alcachofa Vega Baja del Segura (Vega Baja del Segura Artichoke Association).

For this reason, Diego states that there is more pressure on the prices for artichokes intended for export, as larger calibres are demanded than in the domestic market. "Fortunately, the canning industry is playing a key role this campaign, as due to their lack of stocks, prices are being pushed to around 70 cents per kilo, compared with 30 cents last season."

The artichoke season has been underway in the Vega Baja since mid-November and will come to a close in May, with an expected harvest of about 25,000 tonnes; up 7% compared to last year as a result of the increased acreage, which has now reached 1,800 hectares. Fresh artichokes are mainly exported to Europe, mostly to France, the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

The most common artichoke in Spain is the white from Tudela, and to a lesser extent, hybrids varieties or even purple artichoke. At the end of the campaign, growers extract the dry cutting of the plant and section it into two to four parts for cultivation in May, although not all of them will be usable and will have to be replaced. It is a very laborious system which ends up resulting in more expensive production costs. For this reason, companies in the sector are in the process of introducing varieties that require planting with seeds, as with other vegetables.

However, the biggest concern for the sector, both in the Vega Baja and Murcia, remains the very limited availability of water, which is more pronounced this year due to drought.

The Artichoke Vega Baja del Segura Association was founded in 2011 to bring together growers, traders and producers of canned products. The goal was to add value to the crop through the creation of a brand that would guarantee its quality. Fifteen companies from the Vega Baja area, together with a dozen entities and municipalities in the region, are part of this project. Furthermore, the quality brand of the Vega Baja Artichoke is also under the umbrella of the Artichoke Association of Spain.