The cherry season is progressing steadily in the Spanish region of Aragon, with prices exceeding expectations at this stage of the marketing phase.
"The unstable weather in recent months has caused a lot of concern, because cherries are quite sensitive to hail and water, and the risk of cracking is very high at this time of year," says Luis Elías, from Viveros Mariano Soria. "However, the storms did luckily not hit our farms, and the harvest is already well underway."
© Viveros Mariano Soria S.L.U.
"In addition to growing plants, we have also been marketing fruit for many years. At first, we were working with a satellite company, and for the last four years we have been collaborating with the Portuguese company PCF Lda., through which we market our fruit, including that from our low-chill cherry projects."
"All the knowledge on varieties and management acquired and perfected in our fields in Aragon has been put to use in more temperate areas where it hasn't traditionally been possible to grow cherries, and we have achieved a resounding success, helping growers boost the value of their productions and making cherry marketing more attractive with extra-early fruit of a distinctive quality."
"We have already transferred all this knowledge and agronomic support to Murcia, allowing producers to become more competitive with a fruit that is always in demand and is very easy to sell in any market. And Murcia isn't the only temperate area where we see potential for the development of new projects," says Luis.
"In Spain, there's already plenty of cherry production for a later market in colder regions, such as Jerte, Calatayud, and the Alicante mountains, but I am convinced that there is still a world to explore and potential in areas without cold weather. As demonstrated by IPS's Royal Tioga variety, which is really standing out in Murcia, it is possible to produce a high-value, quality product at a very attractive time."
"In fact, the low chilling market was non-existent, and we can proudly say that we have surprised everyone by opening it up."
© Viveros Mariano Soria S.L.U. Viveros Mariano Soria has developed new packaging which, as Luis explains, reflects the fact that their cherries are "a product made by people".
"We were recently visited by nursery growers from Chile, after they heard about our success in Murcia"
Cherry cultivation in areas with a low number of cold hours is a goal for breeders, nurseries, and technicians around the world. "Very recently, we were visited by nursery growers from Chile, after hearing about our success in Murcia, because there is great interest in producing cherries in temperate areas of the country, and the same applies to Peru," says Luis Elías.
"In my opinion, there are various factors to take into account when starting a cherry project in regions where orchards won't get many hours of cold, including environmental humidity and water availability. In Latin America, there is also the added difficulty that, in general, the production context is different from that of Spain, with large farms which, due to their size, require more conventional management," he says.
© Viveros Mariano Soria S.L.U.
"However, new genetics under development and the projects and test blocks already in place to evaluate new areas with production potential, as well as the study of new agronomic management techniques, will open the doors to these areas in the near future."
Good prices since the start of the season
For now, the season is still underway, with very positive economic results since the first cherries were harvested in Murcia. "We had a really good and very early start. In general, there has been a low amount of kilos on the market in the spring, which has helped keep prices up," says Luis. "And although prices throughout the cherry season tend to follow a V-shaped pattern, at the moment, with volumes starting to increase, we are still at 7.5 euros per kilo, so I think the week will end with prices of around 6.5 euros per kilo."
For more information:
Viveros Mariano Soria
www.viverosmarianosoria.com
