The National Association of Garlic Producers and Marketers of Spain, ANPCA, met on Tuesday in Montalbán de Córdoba to hold its annual meeting, coinciding with the start of the campaign. The idea was to assess the crop's current situation and share the prospects for the coming months.
"If the weather conditions continue to be favorable, we should have a good marketing campaign this year, favored by the good quality of the production," says Mr. Amador Gálvez, president of ANPCA. "The dry and hot climate recorded during the harvest is causing the product to have an exceptional quality," he says.
In terms of market prospects, the ANPCA partners expressed their hope that this new campaign will bring some form of recovery from the bad situation of the previous two. Having managed to avoid the increase of the Brazilian tariff thanks to the actions carried out by ANPCA, the market will maintain one of its biggest overseas clients. "Some commercial operations have already been carried out and it seems that they are considerably better than last season," says Mr. Antonio Escudero, vice president of ANPCA. "The market is waiting for the new campaign, because stocks in warehouses are very scarce and of dubious quality, so the new garlic is coming into a practically empty market. Only the weather and the production in China, which is the world's largest grower, could have an impact on this situation."
The meeting also served to address other issues of great importance for the sector, such as the entry into force of the registration of working hours. The Spanish and European garlic promotion campaigns were also presented.
The event was closed by, among others, a delegate from the government of the region of Andalusia, D. Araceli Cabello, who outlined regional agricultural policies. The mayor of Montalbán de Córdoba, D. Miguel Ruz, also made a contribution. He emphasized the important role of this municipality in garlic production.
The ANPCA's share in the sector appears to be quite high. More than 50% of the acreage and 75% of sales within the sector are in the hands of the ANPCA. Five new trading partners were welcomed.