Spain’s Picota cherry producers concluded their most recent export campaign with only half the volumes forecast before harvesting began, primarily due to heavy rains affecting the crop at the end of April.
According to data from the regulatory country for Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) brand Cereza del Jerte, growers in the Spanish region of Extremadura, where Picota cherries are almost exclusively produced, finished the season with 7,000 tonnes of fruit.
However, this total was left than half of the pre-season forecast of 16,000 tonnes, a result the regulator blamed primarily on the adverse weather conditions.
José Fernández, president of the regulatory council, told Spanish publication Hoy that heavy rains accompanied the start of the Picota season in late April, which affected harvesting of the “delicate” product.
Despite this, Fernández said the overall results of the campaign had been “positive”, with a good, though smaller, quality crop enabling growers to export for the first time to Russia, as well as traditional markets, such as the UK and Germany.
