The Extremaduran plum crop was significantly down from average volumes this season, due to adverse weather conditions in the spring.
Miguel ángel Gomez, head of the plum committee for trade association Afruex, told freshinfo: “This season, we have seen a large decrease in production. Strong winds in April caused some superficial damage to the fruit.
“We are expecting a volume of 70,000 tonnes, although potential production exceeds 100,000t.
“As always and despite these problems, we expect the UK to be a good client for our plums.”
This campaign echoes problems encountered by the industry in 2007, when production was reduced by around 40 per cent.
“On the other hand, [last season] was characterised by high-quality production,” said Gomez, below. “Total plum production last year was 65,000t - 20 per cent of which was exported to the UK.
“The UK was a high-quality market for our fruit in 2007, although prices were low considering the quality of the product available,” added Gomez. “However, during the second half of the season, prices recovered.”
Extremadura is the main plum- producing area in Europe, due to its good weather and the region’s ideal soil and water conditions. Plums are the region’s main stonefruit export.
“We are continuously investing in new varieties in order to adapt production to our different markets; new cultivars are continually being introduced,” added Gomez. “Plums and cherries, as opposed to peaches and nectarines, do not require such drastic and numerous varietal modifications.”
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