Rainfall has once again brought work to a halt in cherry orchards in some areas of the Jerte Valley, in Spain, where the start of this year's campaign has been significantly delayed.
"Some volumes of the extra-early and early varieties are already arriving, but recent rains have taken a toll on these first varieties," says Juan Pablo Muñoz, president of the El Torno irrigation community. "The impact depends on the area, but in general, I would say that around 50% of the earlier fruit is affected by cracking, at least in the lower areas of the valley, which have had between 80 and 100 liters of accumulated rainfall."
"This means that, while early cherries are normally harvested in two or three rounds, this year only the fruit from the last round will be harvested. However, larger volumes of cherries will arrive later. For the following varieties, so far we are expecting an average or even above average production. In fact, if it stops raining and there are no hailstorms this year, we will be able to have a good cherry season in the Jerte Valley," says the member of the San Lucas del Torno Cooperative, which is part of the Valle del Jerte Cooperative Group.
Rain has undoubtedly marked the development of the last two cherry seasons in the Spanish province of Cáceres, causing significant losses to a sector that plays a key role in sustaining the economy of the municipalities in the valleys in the north of the province. "Given this experience and the unrelenting rains, we are facing a lot of uncertainty, but we are also eager to get started, because everyone - growers, cooperatives, and clients - are looking forward to the start of the season. We still have about 10 days to go before there are significant volumes," he says.
"Last year, we started on April 24-25, and by this time, we had already harvested a good amount of fruit, and prices were good. However, this time, by May 8, we have hardly been able to harvest at all, and given the impact of the rain and cold temperatures we are experiencing, we still have more than a week to go before things start picking up."
"However, the good thing is that the trees are very strong thanks to all the water they have received, and when better temperatures are recorded, we expect to obtain some really good-sized cherries."
With more than 7,500 hectares of cherry trees, most of them in the Jerte, Vera, and Ambroz Valleys, the region of Extremadura is one of the main cherry-producing regions in Spain, only behind Aragon. Jerte cherries, which are grown using traditional methods, also have a protected designation of origin that guarantees their differentiated quality.
"This year, the Regulatory Board has brought more varieties under the umbrella of the PDO (Lapins, Van, and Bourlat). This will bring new opportunities, although we see that, little by little, some producers are opting to remove Picota plots, because there are shadier areas of the valley where these don't grow well, and there are orchards with old trees that need to be replaced."
Given these circumstances and the increasing shortage of labor, orchards are gradually adopting intensive models to make the work easier, especially the harvesting.
"Many farms are being renovated with smaller trees and higher density planting. To remain competitive, we have to continue producing the best cherries, but at the same time, we also have to be more productive and make the work more attractive for the workers. And as we know in all agricultural sectors, labor has become and will continue to be one of the biggest hurdles in agricultural production."
For more information:
Cooperativa San Lucas del Torno
Av. del Dr. Aurelio Alonso, 71
10617 El Torno, Cáceres. Spain
Tel.: +34 927 17 51 31