Inclement weather and poor fruit set will lead to a significant decline in Catalonia’s stonefruit harvest this year.
The latest forecast from Afrucat points to a 17 per cent fall in output, with the overall crop standing at 471,430 tonnes. The association noted, however, that the shortfall in more pronounced since the 2017 campaign was characterised by high production.
Harvesting is running 8-10 days later than last year.
The biggest falls come in nectarines (- 19 per cent to 207,310 tonnes) and flat peaches (-18 per cent to 127,560 tonnes).
Round peaches and clingstone peaches are also down 13 per cent and 12 per cent, with the crops expected to weigh in at 114,250 tonnes 22,310 tonnes respectively.
Manel Simon, Afrucat’s general manager, said the decline was the result of several factors, including a sparse, irregular and long flowering period followed by a low fruit set, frosts at the end of February and March and hail storms in April and May.
The frosts particularly affected early varieties around Lleida, while in Tarragona and Barcelona the shortage is more widespread, although again early varieties are the worst hit.
Afrucat noted that the low fruit set indicated that sizes will be on the larger size this year, and the need for thinning has decreased.
“In terms of trends, we can highlight the decrease for the first time of the planted area for peaches and nectarines, which has contracted by 2 per cent,” Afrucat said.
