Rains bring cheer to Spain’s tropical fruit sector

Spain’s tropical fruit sector is looking ahead to record avocado and mango production this year following a prolonged period of rain across much of the country in March, according to tropical fruit association AET.

Speaking to EFE Agro, AET’s president, Álvaro Palacios said the industry had had two consecutive years of low production, including a “disastrous” 2023 in which output of crops such as mango were down 70 per cent in Malaga, the country’s main producing area, due to a lack of water.

Palacios said it was still too early to estimate by how much production could increase, as prolonged rains in April and May could affect flowering.

“The rain has provided considerable relief to the crops (…) the trees have been suffering from a fairly severe water deficit for almost three years, and all this water has been very beneficial, as it has served to cleanse the soil,” he told EFE Agro.

He said the overall sentiment in the sector is positive, given that both mangoes and avocados are seeing good prices due to limited supplies from other sources.

So far this season, avocado exports from Andalusia (the main producing region) are down 14 per cent in volume and 10 per cent in value compared to the same period of the previous season.

Shipments to countries outside the European Union (EU) have been particularly hard hit, AET stated, recording a 64 per cent drop in volume and a 63 per cent drop in value.

These figures contrast with the slight improvement observed in exports within the EU, which increased by 9 per cent in terms of average unit value, reaching €3.31/kg, compared to €3.19/kg in the same period last year.

Asked about the tariffs announced by the US, Palacios ruled out any impact on the domestic tropical fruit sector, noting that as Spain’s production still lags some way behind countries like Peru and Mexico.