Recent warm temperatures in Huelva are leading the Spanish strawberry sector to fear a glut in production.
José Manuel Romero of producer exporters’ association Freshuelva forecast last week that production would increase in volume next week from the small quantities being harvested in January. “The season this year is a little behind last year, because plantings were later,” said Romero. “The higher temperatures over the last two weeks or so are making growers concerned that there will be a peak in production, and that this will coincide with a lack of availability of labour to harvest.”
But conditions in export markets are not favourable either. “The sunshine helps fruit to mature and bulk up,” said Eduardo Dominguez, leader of growers’ union Coag. “But for now, we are not interested in large volumes of production, because with poor weather in our destination markets around Europe, consumption is down.”
In the UK, supplies are just about keeping up with demand. “For the moment, things are OK,” said John Grieve of importer Lisons. “We started the season a while back and we had a little flurry a couple of weeks ago when there was a full moon, but there is a bit less volume coming through now, although we expect it to rise again by Valentine’s Day. It is a bit of a rollercoaster ride.”
Grieve reports good colouring on fruit, with less incidence of white shoulder than at this time last season, and a good performance from the newer varieties Festival and Candonga.
Growers are working hard through their representative organisations and are in contact with the Spanish labour and immigration authorities to try and secure the arrival of a much-needed second wave of Romanian workers. Some producers have been trying to secure workers from Ukraine, but the lack of an immigration agreement with Spain has meant that numbers from that source are also lacking.
Some 4,500 more Moroccan women have contracted to work in Huelva than last season, but the sector is still concerned that there will be a shortfall.
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