Platterina fails where paraguayo succeeds

The Spanish stone fruit season has erupted again. Although summery weather is expected in the Netherlands this week, temperatures have been too cold for too long for a good consumption. “It was cold for too long especially in destinations such as Scandinavia, and volumes bought by those countries aren’t as large as is regular for the time of year. A few more degrees would therefore be much appreciated,” says Erik-Jan Thur from Marni Fruit.

By now, the importer has received the first cherries, apricots and nectarines. “But we see prices dropping quickly, so we’re taking things slowly with the first shipments,” Erik-Jan says. “We’ll also wait a bit longer with the first shipments of paraguayos,because they are still too small. We’ve had the first varieties of cherries now, but they’re still a bit soft and light of colour, and they can’t be stored. We’ll soon start receiving firmer varieties with more colour, which will result in smoother sales.”

The prospects for this season are that a lot of Spanish stone fruit will be shipped. “I personally visited our producers in Lleida and Zaragoza recently, and if all the fruit now on the trees is to be shipped, we’ll have to work very hard to sell everything this summer,” Erik-Jan continues. “We sell the stone fruit throughout Europe, and besides Scandinavia, the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands are the most important markets.”

The Dutch are still not very eager to buy apricots, the importer has noticed. “Apricots sold in the Netherlands are mostly meant for export, or they’re sold to Turkish and Moroccan customers who know what to do with them. Other trends in the stone fruit market are that paraguayos have proven to be a keeper on the market, and they’ve driven off peaches, but despite all of their efforts, people in Spain have still not found the right size for good platterinas. People therefore continue to choose regular nectarines.”