The Spanish-French-Italian Strawberry Contact Group, made up of representatives of French and Italian producers, as well as Spanish ones grouped together under the Strawberry Producers and Exporters Association of Huelva (Freshuelva), integrated in FEPEX, held a meeting last Wednesday in Agen, France, where they analysed the campaign forecasts and determined that this year's production will be similar to that of 2016. Moreover, they also made progress in matters of collaboration in phytosanitary issues.
The representatives of the three countries expect a production similar to that of 2016, a stabilization of the volumes, with a good staggering of the production, and a better quality, largely attributable to the varietal renewal that has been carried out in most farms. Freshuelva reported that the strawberry acreage in Huelva amounts to 5,400 hectares, while the area planted in Italy stands at 3,400 hectares. Representatives of the AOP Fraise, of France, estimated this country's total production at 45,000 tonnes.
The French representatives of the AOP Fraise also confirmed their presence at the 3rd International Red Fruit Congress, scheduled for next June in Huelva and organised by Freshuelva.
As regards phytosanitary issues, the Group has strengthened cooperation, since Italy will start collaborating with France and Spain in their work to improve the sector's competitiveness. Since 2014, France and Spain have been working on the mutual recognition of active substances as a means of authorising the use of phytosanitary products necessary for the control of pests in strawberry cultivation. Mutual recognition results in a product authorised in one Member State for the same use and under comparable agricultural practices being automatically authorised in another Member State if the agricultural, phytosanitary and environmental conditions are comparable.
The Contact Group also opened a new line of cooperation on promotion, agreeing to make joint proposals within the framework of the European Commission's promotion policy.
Source: fepex.es
