Fepex said sector is working hard to return to normal as soon as possible
Production and export activity has returned to normal today in most Spanish production areas and companies after yesterday’s blackout that left the entire country without power.
According to Fepex, work directly related to production and cultivation continued in most cases, while the blackout primarily affected offices, packhouses and cold storage facilities. However, a large number of companies have generators that have allowed them to keep their cold storage facilities operating.
”In Almería, there are areas where the power supply is still inconsistent, but things are gradually returning to normal, and warehouses are resuming daily activity,” Fepex said.
In Murcia, yesterday was marked by the complexity of order processing due to a lack of communication, and operations were halted. However, although there may be delays, all orders will be fulfilled and there will be no major problems with the supply of fruits and vegetables.
In Huelva, in the midst of the berry season, work in packhouses was affected during the hours of the blackout. However, the fruit and vegetable plants resorted to replacement generators, which allowed operations to continue, and by late yesterday, the situation was back to normal.
And in Seville, where the stonefruit and potato season is just beginning, the blackout brought packhouse operations to a standstill, but they have now fully recovered.
Murcian grower-exporter association Proexport issued a statement seeking to reassure its national and international customers and suppliers after yesterday’s power outage that left most of Spain and Portugal without electricity for most of the day.
Its president, Mariano Zapata, commented: “It is too early to assess the economic losses that may have occurred in the fruit and vegetable sector. It must be considered that these are fresh products, and, while some companies have generators that have allowed them to keep their cold storage rooms functioning, others have not been able to do so”.
Zapata described yesterday as a day of “chaos and disorder”, noting that the sector is highly dependent on electricity.
“Administratively, without communication with customers and suppliers, it has been very complicated to manage orders; we know that many have not even arrived. And other operations, such as loading or pre-cooling the product, were unfeasible,” he noted, adding that “later on, we will also have to file claims and see how the insurance company responds”.
Even by Tuesday morning, electricity had not been fully restored to companies located in the Almería. Instead, they are having to deal with intermittent power and internet and telephone connections.
However, Proexport said its member companies have been working into the early hours of the morning to resume operations as soon as possible and guarantee the supply of fruits and vegetables to Spanish and European shelves.
