The stonefruit harvest this campaign, namely that of peaches, nectarines and Paraguayos, is expected to increase by 30 percent compared to that of 2016 and reach 371,000 tonnes.
The Councillor of Water, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Francisco Jódar, who attended the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, Table Grapes and Other Agricultural Products (Apoexpa), said that "the quality of stonefruit this campaign has been better so far, mostly thanks to the fact that the weather conditions during the growth and ripening have been optimal.
However, stressed the Councillor, "the high temperatures recorded in recent weeks have advanced the start of the harvest, which could lead to a great concentration of the supply in a very short period."
"The European market, which is our main consumer, is starting to demand more stonefruit," explained Francisco Jódar, who clarified that "demand increases when temperatures rise in Europe, as Europeans associate the consumption of stonefruit with high temperatures."
The stonefruit campaign in the Region of Murcia kicked off with the harvest of nectarines, red peaches and apricots in the earliest areas on 15 April. Regarding the production of apricots, it is estimated to reach 90,000 tonnes, a very similar volume to that achieved last season. As for the plum harvest, the forecast is that it will be 25% lower than last year, while the cherry production will grow by 5 percent.
Chinese market
At the meeting, the first that the Councillor has held with the representatives of Apoexpa, there were also discussions regarding the opening of the Chinese market last year, with the next shipments to start being negotiated in June. In this sense, the Councillor assured that "this is a very important market, also challenging, but with great potential for the Region of Murcia."
Apoexpa currently has 30 associated companies. The products they export are mainly stonefruit (apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and table grapes), which account for about 80 percent of the region's private exporting producers. In the specific case of table grapes, this percentage also applies at national level. The association also produces citrus fruits, vegetables and canned products.
Source: CARM
