The first volumes of Valle del Jerte cherries from Spain’s Extremadura region are expected to become available on the country’s domestic market at the end of this week, although the Picota variety is unlikely to be on sale until early June.
According to Denomination of Origin (DO) regulatory council Cereza del Jerte, initial volumes of the Burlat variety will be on sale in Spain by the close of the week, albeit following a delay of 20 days as a result of the long, cold winter.
However, the organisation, which represents 3,200 cherry growers in Extremadura’s Valle del Jerte, said in a statement that the Picota variety, which has also experienced delays this season, would not be available until the end of the first week of June.
Pilar Diaz Flores from the Extremadura-based association last month told Fruitnet that although it was “too early” to give approximate figures on production for this campaign, the potential harvest could total as high as 8,500 tonnes.
