By European standards, Spain is a huge country. In terms of horticulture, it benefits from a range of soil and climate types, and successive governments that traditionally have recognised the contribution this sector makes to the national economy. Region by region, month by month, Spanish produce is ever-present in the fresh produce calendar. Citrus comes from Valencia, Murcia and Andalusía, salads and bananas from the Canary Islands, Murcia and Almería, seedless grapes from Murcia, melons from Almería and Murcia, soft fruit from Huelva, carrots and onions from Valencia, brassicas from Valencia and Murcia, stonefruit from Murcia, Valencia and Extremadura and top fruit from Catalonia.
While the UK is a long-established traditional market for the Iberian country, exchange rate issues, lower labour costs in other producing nations and a raft of other issues mean that there is constant pressure from outside forces on this supplier-market relationship.
During the 2007-08 season in particular, Russia has really emerged as a market not just for Spanish fresh produce, but for that of its competitors too. Nowhere has this been more evident than in lemon supplies, which have experienced extremely strong pricing.
This diversification is getting encouragement from the Spanish authorities too, with a new twice-weekly container service, established with the blessing of the Valencia regional government, now sailing for St Petersburg.
It is not just on citrus where the pull towards Russia is being felt, but also on other volume lines such as potatoes and onions, giving Spain an exciting and infinitely more stable market to supply to than it had just a few years ago.
But one of the biggest issues Spain is facing as a fresh produce grower and exporter is water availability. “If you draw a line about 35 miles inland from Valencia all the way south, that whole area to the eastern coast is desperately short of water reserves,” says Peter Davis of UK importer-exporter Davis (Louth) Ltd. There are great restrictions on where water can be taken from for irrigation and, in some areas, Spanish authorities are even bringing in water from Portugal.
Davis believes we are already starting to see the start of a trend towards production of some Spanish lines moving northwards, as the effects of climate change make themselves felt. “Five years ago, we got all our broccoli from southern Spain,” he explains. “But now they are not suffering with the same heavy frosts in the north during the winter, we take from Zaragoza and Valencia.”
This same picture can be seen throughout Spain, with early apples and pears from the Cadiz area now struggling because of the warm, dry conditions. Water issues too mean that UK companies are preferring to source citrus from the northern parts of the Valencia region and the south of Catalonia, around Castellon, for example. More and more fruit is being contract grown, with whole fields bearing signs announcing in English, presumably to UK holidaymakers, that the produce grown in them is destined solely to one or other of the major high-street multiples.
The European Union’s reform of the fruit and vegetable regime and implementation of the orchard rejuvenation programme will both stand Spain in good stead, in theory at least. The intention to encourage the planting of new and more desirable fruit varieties across the deciduous sector, and to subsidise growers through the single-farm payment, as well as to beef up producer organisations and encourage increased consumption across Europe, should all boost Spanish grower fortunes.
It would be harder to find a better example of the way Spain excels at horticultural production than what has been achieved with strawberry cultivation. Soft fruit is produced predominantly in south-west Spain in the area around Huelva. The region is capable of producing high-quality fruit in a season that runs from December to June, thanks to the beneficence of the climate in the area, and sunshine hours quadruple those of London during the winter and temperatures two or three times as high.
Average production stands at about 295,000 tonnes a year, from an area of some 7,500 hectares. It is the world’s second-largest strawberry producer behind the US, and far and away the largest in Europe. Raspberries, blueberries and, to a lesser extent, blackberries are also being planted, expanding the range and reach of Spain’s soft-fruit portfolio. The sector is highly organised under the banner of Freshuelva, which represents grower-exporters of 95 per cent of production and also fulfils a promotional role.
Spain’s early success with strawberries was with US-bred varieties such as Oso Grande and Camarosa and, more recently, with Sabrosa. Breeding programmes are increasingly focusing on the precise characteristics of the Huelva area, and developing varieties ideally suited to the region, thus increasing potential for commercial success.
As little as 10 years ago, the majority of strawberry production was under micro-tunnels, but that has now changed to the extent that high tunnels are much more the norm, creating a better growing climate for the fruit with lower incidence of disease and, consequently, a reduction in pesticide usage.
“The Spanish industry has always been proactive in terms of integrated crop management and water resource management, both as a whole and as individuals,” says Nick Marston, managing director of Berry Gardens. “It faces the same challenges as the soft-fruit industry in northern Europe, in terms of availability of land, labour and water usage.”
Production of raspberries in Spain during the winter has developed substantially over the past eight years or so. Previously, Tulameen was produced on a larger scale, but falling yields mean that its acreage has contracted as producers now only use it to supply the premium end of the raspberry market. In its stead, production of Glen Lyon has increased substantially, and has grown the market considerably. “But it is not a good early variety,” says Marston. “There is a big opportunity to increase winter production. That is the next step; for grower groups to fill that gap between autumn primocane and spring floracane with better eating varieties than Glen Lyon.” Berry Gardens is already working on this with Driscoll varieties, and other growers are looking to cultivars such as Polka and Brilliant.
Meanwhile, substantial plantings of blueberries are starting to come on stream, with production increasing in volume year on year over the last three to four years, and that growth set to increase in the seasons ahead.
Blackberry production is extremely limited, but that picture could change before too long. “There is a big opportunity for blackberry production in Huleva,” says Marston. “Right now the market is supplied by Mexico from October until June, so that is a real opportunity for Spain.” And Berry Gardens is already trialling Driscoll’s Carmel in Huelva, and also runs soft-fruit trials in Almería.
One of the key factors in Spanish success has been the readiness with which its producers have embraced and indeed been innovative meeting in UK market requirements for traceability. But high-profile lapses such as the pesticides in capsicum scare that was reported in Germany and in the UK in the 2006-07 season could suggest that Spain’s crown is slipping. But those involved in supplies from Spain are quick to put this incident in context. “Wherever you go you will always find someone who is not up to date and using a product they shouldn’t, but that was just a blip and was dealt with very swiftly,” says Davis. “As a general rule of thumb, Spain is very much at the forefront when it comes to having its house in order on pesticide use, and growers want it to be known that they are getting it right.”
This is clearly evidenced with initiatives such as the Murcia Clean Agriculture programme, reported in the pages of last week’s grape supplement, and also with the launch earlier this year of Hortyfruta - an interprofessional representative body in Andalusía that brings together the various grower-exporter associations in the region. Between them, they represent 1.78 million tonnes of production of field vegetables, salads and melons, as well as crops grown undercover, including capsicum, lettuce, tomatoes, courgettes, beans, aubergines, melons, watermelons and cucumbers. The stated aims of Hortyfruta are to promote better quality in production, improved plant health, defence of the environment, promotion of fresh produce and of research and development and to take action to ensure better marketing of product. This latest has already been seen, with the suspension for several weeks of marketing of Class II tomatoes to bring order to the marketplace.
The products that come under the auspices of Hortyfruta are all ones in which Andalusía is a market leader, and where the group is able to bring significant influence to bear. In tomatoes, Andalusía accounts for 43 per cent of national production, ahead of the Canary Islands, and concentrated mainly in the Almería area. It also accounts for 60 per cent of national capsicum production, and the same figure applies to watermelon output, while melon and lettuce production in the region account for about and a quarter a third of national output respectively.
In other regions, Spanish producers and exporters have been equally proactive in protecting their product image and enhancing their standing on international markets. Citricos Valencianos is a case in point. Citrus growers in Valencia now have a regulatory council and a protected geographical indicator for the very best of their fruit meeting the requirements laid down by the council.
Other such initiatives exist for nisperos from the Callosa d’en Sarriá area in south-eastern Spain, and for persimmon, or kakifruit, from Rivera del Xuquer in eastern Spain. And in Extremadura, a key stonefruit-growing region, Afruex has been extremely proactive in working with Foods from Spain in the UK for what will be its third season this year, to promote plums. The association represents 90 per cent of fruit growers in the western Spanish region, some 1,000 individuals who between them produce 300,000t of mainly stonefruit and top fruit.
Northern Spain is not often thought of as a source for the UK market, but Poupart Figueras sends considerable volume for Poupart’s non-supermarket business in the UK, from the Costa Brava and Lerida, for example. A massive advantage of the Costa Brava area is that there is no shortage of water with the Pyrenees so close by and, in terms of distance to the UK market, the area is just a few kilometres further south than Perpignan. “We do a programme of Royal Gala, Pink Lady and Red Delicious from Costa Brava,” says Poupart Figueras’ Carl Latino. “The guys we work with have very strict growing practices and good control over their fruit; the quality is really good and they have a real niche. In the past, there has sometimes been a stigma attached to Spanish apples, but on the Costa Brava they have cooler nights and a good temperature differential. Fruit colours up well and the product is more like a French apple than some of the product from other Spanish regions, where they have more heat.”
Mack Multiples works huge volumes from Spain and, according to managing director David Lloyd, the weather remains the biggest variable factor, sometimes posing great challenges to Spanish supply.
“Speaking generally across a number of crops, we are seeing good moves towards integrated crop production and pesticide reduction from Spanish producers, which in turn help not only with best practice on land management, but with retailer expectations,” says Lloyd. “Our technical staff work closely with growers to help find ways in which they can manage their land with less adverse environmental impact, while retaining productivity and quality. While this is a pressure on growers around the world now, our experience is that the Spanish growers are particularly receptive to our input.”
Looking ahead, Spain has about the best climate possible for winter and early spring berry, salad and vegetable production, not to mention its prowess in citrus, stonefruit, grapes and melons, and all within easy reach of all major European markets that are likely to give it an edge for some time to come. The road infrastructure is good, and the whole country has a very strong tradition of large-scale horticultural production that is unparalleled and recognised by the UK trade and its customers. As one importer puts it: “Spain is so close to the UK market, it is like a tap you can just turn on when you need to.”
DRIVING FORWARD PROMOTIONS
Maria José Sevilla heads up Foods from Spain (FFS) in the UK. It is the food and wines promotional arm of the Spanish international trade office ICEX. The products promoted by FFS are varied slightly every few years, as the market priorities of the co-financing initiatives change and their goals are achieved. This year, Picota cherries, persimmon, cherimoya, plums, strawberries and raspberries are all part of the campaign. Sevilla talks to FPJ about plans for the campaigns, and the challenges facing Spanish exporters and their products.
For the majority of the products we effectively run two campaigns; one generic one whereby the activity favours all the products; and one for individual lines where the focus is tailored to each product. These campaigns are very flexible, and we are in constant communication with retailers to accommodate all their needs. On-pack information and recipe leaflets are very popular for the Picota promotiona, for example, as is a free bottle of Cava offer. For cherimoya and persimmon in October, we will feature chef demonstrations to consumer journalists.
Generically, this year once again we will be running the National Primary School competition, which has been very popular and will be even bigger and better and will be launched at the Tate Gallery. And for catering students aged 17-23, we will run a Chef of the Year competition, with a fabulous prize to visit El Bulli on the Costa Brava, the best restaurant in the world, and train for a day with chef Adrià.
As far as individual products are concerned, I think cherimoya has a lot of potential. Once people understand how it ripens and when it is ready to eat, it will have a great future. If pomegranates can be so successful in the UK, then I don’t see why cherimoya cannot. The season is very long, and it lasts through the autumn and into the spring.
The world we live in is in constant change climatically, and Spain must react to that just as the rest of the world has to. Drought has been upon us for some time now, but in Spain we have always had to cope with periods of drought - it is not going to stop us producing something if we do it well. It is worth remembering also that Spain is a very large in terms of the diversity of its climatic conditions. Now there is evidence of climatic change globally, but there has also always been strong climatic influence on the land in Spain, and it is certainly nothing new. We are serious producers, and as a country we will always adapt.
We operate in an increasingly competitive market, and Spanish producers recognise the need to grow and supply top-quality fresh produce for the UK market, and even exceed the required standards. But we are facing a particularly difficult year this year, including global economic unrest, climatic changes and other countries focusing their energies on our traditional markets. Spain feels the competition where there is competition, but we are well positioned close to our European markets and with a long tradition of supply.
The UK market is a massive one for us and a huge priority, and that will carry on as long as the UK wants us.
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