"We expect a campaign with a very homogeneous quality and very large calibres, as the trees have the perfect amount of cherries and the fruit has developed with more sugar, hardness, colour and lustre. If there were more units per tree, we would not have such excellent quality," explains Francesc Pena, manager of Sat Bepa.
"Thanks to the proper nutrition of the cherry trees, we can start early with the export of early varieties, such as the Early Bigi or Primulat, which we are already shipping to Dubai. Next week we will start harvesting the Sweet Stone and Sweet Early varieties and by the end of the same week we will market the first Frisco cherries."
Prices remain high, but they are now gradually falling as the different producing areas are starting with the harvest and the weather is not being ideal at the export destinations. "With cold temperatures, consumers prefer mandarins rather than cherries. We expect consumption to increase as of next week, as the weather improves, so that the greater volumes that are to come can be absorbed," states Francesc Pena.
Sat Bepa sells its cherries in the domestic market and exports them also to Europe, to destinations such as the Netherlands, Belgium and France, and for the first time this year, Sweden. They also reach distant destinations, like Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Honk Kong. According to Francesc, "I don't see a very promising future for our cherries in these Asian markets, where it's hard to compete against California cherries; however, I believe it would be very important to be able to access China, where we could be very competitive with the fruit arriving by rail in about 14 days."
Contact information:
Francesc Pena
SAT BEPA
Les Eres, 19. Seròs. Lleida. Spain
T: +34 973780064
M:+34 626493104
francesc@olimpfruit.com
www.olimpruit.com