The lower temperatures since mid-December and the many cloudy and rainy days in Huelva have resulted in a more limited berry supply than usual at this time of year, and the situation is expected to continue for a few more weeks.
"This year, we had planned the planting to be able harvest strawberries earlier than ever before and in greater quantities. To this end, we had increased the number of potted plants," says Carlos Esteve, Sales Director of Onubafruit. "However, although we started to harvest the first strawberries in early December, from the middle of that month, temperatures plummeted, dropping below 5 degrees Celsius. There have also been many days of rain and cloudy weather."
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"Therefore, compared to what we had planned, production has been significantly slowed down by the cold and lack of light. As a result, the strawberry supply is limited, not only in Spain, but also in Morocco, which is also starting at this time," says Esteve.
"At this time of year, we normally see increasingly consistent supply programs, but for now, we are recording lower figures than those of the previous season, which is translating into high prices," he says.
Raspberry and blueberry volumes are also limited. "The early blueberry varieties are also behind schedule. Although we have more supply than at this same time last year because our plantations of exclusive varieties are coming into maturity, volumes are still lower than we expected," says Esteve.
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"Our blueberries have their place on European shelves, where the supply from the Southern Hemisphere, especially from Peru, Chile, and South Africa, still dominates. From mid-February onwards, Spanish blueberries should play a more prominent role. We aim to supply European-grown blueberries with an even better quality than the overseas product already from late November in a context of continuous growth in consumption," says Onubafruit's Sales Director.
"As far as raspberries are concerned, the sector is currently in a transitional period between early varieties produced in the fall and more winter varieties. Cold weather has caused the yields of the earlier varieties to fall earlier than they should, while also slowing down the production of the varieties that follow them. For this reason, the market has been fairly empty of Spanish and Moroccan raspberries for some weeks now, and this will continue to be the case for some time," says Carlos Esteve.
© Onubafruit S. CoopFor more information:
Onubafruit S.L.
P.E. Mirador del Odiel. C/ Lentisco s/n Portal 3, Of.17
Huelva, Spain
Tel.: +34 959540844
[email protected]
www.onubafruit.com
