Last week marked the start of the Mollar Elche and Wonderful pomegranate harvest in Seville, Huelva and Badajoz; a bit later compared to last season.
"The high summer temperatures and the lack of contrast of these between day and night have caused a delay in the harvest and resulted in the production of smaller calibres, although we have commercial sizes for the entire range," explains Daniel Blanco, commercial director of Mogalla.
According to the producer and exporter, Spanish growers tend to plant new varieties as alternatives to the traditional Mollar Elche, with a more intense external and internal colour and more acidity.
"In recent years, we have observed an increase in the demand for bright coloured pomegranates, which has led us to expand the acreage devoted to the Wonderful this year and to invest in new earlier varieties with more colour, such as the Acco and Smith."
With a clear commitment to this crop, the Andalusian company has grown from 100 hectares to 250 in a year, from which it expects to obtain about 8,000 tonnes of pomegranates by the 2018/19 campaign.
"Up until last year, we had 100 hectares devoted to Mollar Elche and Wonderful pomegranates, but in early 2016 we expanded the crop's acreage after a considerable investment in our farms. We currently have about 250 hectares of pomegranates of the Mollar Elche, Wonderful, Acco and Smith varieties," states Daniel Blanco.
Daniel Blanco, at the recent edition of Fruit Attraction.
The pomegranate acreage continues to grow worldwide, and this also applies to the consumption of both fresh and processed fruit. "Pomegranates are a fruit with innumerable health properties, which consumers are increasingly aware about, thus boosting the demand for them. Furthermore, the longer the fruit is available on the shelves, whether fresh, as juice or in other formats, the more interest it will spark amongst consumers and producers."
Mogalla will supply pomegranates until late February or early March. "In the coming years, with the investments made in new varieties, we hope to be able to start the campaign in August without any issues," he concludes.
"This year we expect a production of around 3,000 tonnes, of which 1,500 will correspond to the Wonderful and the rest to the Mollar Elche," he adds.
Daniel Blanco, at the recent edition of Fruit Attraction.
Although competition with other countries, such as Morocco, Turkey and Israel, makes sales in Europe more difficult, Daniel Blanco says that Spain's position will become stronger in the coming years.
"Competition with these countries is intense, as they tend to grow good products with lower production costs than ours, thus hitting the markets with lower prices," he states. "However, Spain is gradually establishing itself as a producer of pomegranates, which is helping alleviate the competition with these countries and leading consumers to increasingly prefer the Spanish product."
The pomegranate acreage continues to grow worldwide, and this also applies to the consumption of both fresh and processed fruit. "Pomegranates are a fruit with innumerable health properties, which consumers are increasingly aware about, thus boosting the demand for them. Furthermore, the longer the fruit is available on the shelves, whether fresh, as juice or in other formats, the more interest it will spark amongst consumers and producers."
Mogalla will supply pomegranates until late February or early March. "In the coming years, with the investments made in new varieties, we hope to be able to start the campaign in August without any issues," he concludes.
For more information:
Daniel Blanco
Mogalla S.A.T.
Carretera Sevilla – Ayamonte, km 104.
Huelva, Andalusia. Spain.
Huelva, Andalusia. Spain.
T: +34 954 934 272
M: +34 600 422 318
danielblanco@mogalla.com
www.mogalla.com
M: +34 600 422 318
danielblanco@mogalla.com
www.mogalla.com