At the moment, the price of broccoli is quite adequate for the producers. "The drought has wreaked havoc in other places and although the people here are struggling to pull ahead, the truth is that they are selling quite well," explains Jesús Pérez, who has several hectares in Calahorra.
The fact is that broccoli growers are taking advantage of the lack of production in other areas to keep their prices high, at around 65 cents per kilo.
Broccoli is gaining ground compared to other winter vegetables. "Although it is not yet as important as cauliflower, its acreage is already greater than that of other products, such as cabbage, chard or even thistle, which used to be one of the strongest products in this area," he says.
The growth in La Rioja's broccoli production is inversely proportional to the fall recorded by cauliflower over the last ten years. While 992 hectares were devoted to this product in 2006, at present that figure has more than halved (404 hectares).
"Overall, people are consuming less winter vegetables, but this is not affecting broccoli, which is apparently becoming fashionable," explains Jesus.
Source: larioja.com
