The artichoke production will grow again in 2017 and reach 220,000 tonnes after several years of decline, according to the president of Alcachofa de España, Antonio Galindo, who highlighted the sector's achievement of managing to supply this vegetable to the consumer all year round.
The latest production data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (Mapama) reveal that the harvest in 2014 totalled 222,300 tonnes, compared to 214,200 in 2015 and 212,700 in 2016.
Speaking to Efeagro, Galindo said that, until a few years ago, "artichokes were largely unknown," but that the per capita consumption has now increased as a result of the promotional campaigns that have been organised. In 2014, it stood below two kilos, while today it amounts to more than 2.5 kg.
The latest promotion was carried out at Fitur. At the fair, the municipality of Tudela, in Navarra, distributed 2,000 artichoke buds for tastings, and the product was also featured in several showcooking workshops.
Its cultivation, according to Galindo, currently takes 15,300 hectares, mostly located in the Region of Murcia and the Vega Baja del Segura, Alicante, which together account for 55% of the acreage and whose production is currently in full swing. There are also crops in Tudela (Navarra), Barcelona and Zafarraya (Granada).
As regards the cold wave that has hit the Region of Murcia and Alicante, he said that "it is important to remain cautious until its consequences can be evaluated;" however, he stated that "this plant resists the cold well, as long as the temperature does not drop below zero degrees Celsius."
The president of Alcachofa de España also recalled that the torrential rains recorded in Cartagena last December caused 40% of the production planned for those days to be lost, although the productive cycle was quickly resumed.
Source: EFE
