"It's another unusual season in Almeria," says Paul van Groningen of Hudepa, who is active in the region as a commercial agent. "It was already clear beforehand that there would be many problems with peppers due to Parvispinus. This has resulted in fewer Class I peppers, with many showing surface blemishes."
© Hudepa
"It is also noticeable that kilo yields are significantly lower across the board. A large grower I work with expanded his acreage by 25% this year with different products, such as chillies and peppers, yet overall he harvested the same number of kilos as last year, likely due to weather conditions," Paul says.
"For the period ahead, they do not expect the situation to become any easier. This week, market demand is somewhat subdued, which has led to price declines, but expectations are that the market will pick up again next week. Over the coming days and into next week, the weather forecast is for rain, cold temperatures, and strong winds, which will keep production low. On top of that, Morocco is shipping less product and is experiencing significant quality issues due to rainfall."
© Hudepa
"Looking ahead to spring, more early watermelons are expected to be available this year. Several growers who removed their pepper crops because of the virus have planted watermelons, and they are expecting early production. In short, a few more challenging weeks for Almeria vegetables, followed hopefully by a full watermelon season, with good weather in the north and strong sales for everyone."
For more information:
Paul van Groningen
Hudepa
Tel: +34 611 537 616
[email protected]
www.hudepa.com
