Continuing unseasonably cold weather looks set to disrupt supplies of a variety of lines from southern Spain for a few more weeks to come.
The Summerfruit Company reports that growing conditions for strawberries in Huelva are difficult. “It has been exceptionally cold,” said a spokesman. “There have only been two or three hours of double digit temperatures during the day so ripening of both Ventana and Festival slow as a result.”
Raspberries are also affected. “While fruit is available it is in much shorter supply than anticipated,” the company’s spokesman said. “Quality however remains good.”
On the other side of Andalusia in Almeria to the east, Juan Carlos Pérez of exporters’ representative body Coexphal told freshinfol that cold temperatures have lifted only briefly this week and the forecast is for more cold. “The last couple of weeks of December and the beginning of January were unseasonably cold and we had a sudden drop in temperatures,” he said. “This week the forecast is that the cold snap will be back and that has a knock on effect on the crops.”
Capsicum in particular has been affected and the rate of growth has slowed right down, Pérez told freshinfo. Tomato production has also slowed. Courgette and aubergine plants are not suffering to the same extent and cucumber is least hard hit.
“The effects take about a week to really be felt in terms of prices on our destination markets, but it will be at least another couple of weeks before production is back on track, weather depending,” warned Pérez.
