La Unió Llauradora describes the 2025/2026 persimmon season, which is nearing its end, as quite irregular and notes that it has not met expectations following the damage caused by the Dana. The season's results are affected by pests like cotonet and whitefly, which have caused significant damage and increased production costs.
© La Unió
"The initial expectations were not met. The harvest was smaller than originally forecast due to reduced calibres, lower commercial exploitation, and a severe pest infestation. We need better tools to fight pests in persimmon, as the number of available active ingredients continues to decline. Without control, the future looks bleak," stated Ximo Madramany, head of La Unió's persimmon sector.
Regarding prices, cooperatives have not yet finalized their figures, and retailers have paid an average of 0.40 to 0.50 euros per kilogram. The low prices during mid-season have negatively affected the overall outcome. Persimmon purchases started early with favorable prices around 0.55 euros per kilogram, but from late October to December, about five weeks in the middle of the season, prices dropped sharply. In recent weeks, they have recovered to more favorable levels, though with limited impact as the season nears its end. While season prices could be acceptable, the main issue remains that, due to the large amount of waste and rising costs, growers' incomes stay very low.
© La Unió
La Unió hosted its 3rd Persimmon Conference in Benimodo, with over 80 growers attending to learn about key issues in the sector, including pest management. The event featured two presentations on developing integrated management strategies for whiteflies: one by Mariana Albertazzi (IVIA) and another by César Monzó on the new challenges in managing cotonet in persimmon.
Mateu Chilet from Genesis Fresh delivered a talk about the new protected variety, Ribera Sun. Ximo Madramany emphasizes that "understanding the agronomic behavior of these new varieties is important, although it is still too early to determine their market development."
For more information:
Carles Peris, general secretary
Tel: +34 658 92 89 23
Ximo Madramany, head of the persimmon sector
Tel: +34 649 26 52 51
La Unió
Email: [email protected]
https://launio.org
