Reports in regional daily La Gaceta warn that there could be an oversupply of fruit despite dry weather in November and again at the end of January which has contributed to an overall decline in production volumes. Temperatures, especially in the north and east of the region have also been unseasonably high, putting trees under further stress.

However, producers have been working extremely hard on quality and the major plantations are all equipped with adequaet irrigation systems. Some report small sizes because of the dry conditions, but economic uncertainty in Argentina means that many growers are aiming for the security of payments in hard currency and will therefore be targeting fruit at the export markets.

The ATC warns, however, that the sector must work together in a co-ordinated manner in order to avoid a decline in prices, or fruit reaching export markets before optimum maturity is reached.

Last season's export total was 11 per cent up on 2001 and there was an important gain in the Russian market which saw volumes rise by 31 per cent.

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