Breba fig season starts with high demand and better prices than last year

The breba fig harvest has been underway for a few days in the Spanish municipality of Elche, Alicante, where constant rainfall has been slowing down the process without affecting the quality of the fruit. The rains are having a positive impact on the caliber of the breba figs, although the earliest ones will still be affected by the drought, which will result in somewhat smaller calibers.

"At the moment, we are harvesting fewer kilos of breba figs than at this same time last year," says Susi Bonet, sales manager of the Cambayas cooperative.

"However, we expect the pace of harvesting to pick up again by the end of this week and become able to supply supermarket chains, since in the first few days our sales have been directed to wholesale markets. We will already have significant volumes starting next week," she says.

This season, Cambayas expects the production to range between 300,000 and 350,000 kilos, a similar volume to that of 2022.

"The campaign has started with high demand and better prices compared to the beginning of last season, although it is worth recalling that production costs have also increased. With these price levels producers will be able to ensure the profitability of their crops," said Susi Bonet.

According to the sales representative of this cooperative, the breba fig campaign is short, lasting only 3 weeks, and there is no competition from other producing areas in Spain at this time of year. "The demand for this product is increasing every year," she says. Afterwards, in July, the regular fig season will start with greater volumes and competition from other origins.

Cambayas' figs are mainly intended for the Spanish market, although this year they plan to export around 20% of their production to France and the Netherlands.