The Picota cherry crop from the Spanish Jerte Valley is estimated to reach 4,500 tonnes this season.
The regulatory council for the crop’s denomination of origin has announced that the harvest of standard cherry types has already begun. Picking of Burlat began in the first week of May and the Navalinda harvest was due to begin as the Journal went to press, with the first DO fruit expected next week.
Picota is forecast to begin around June 10 and will continue throughout July.
The season in the Jerte Valley, Extremadura, is starting slightly behind schedule due to unseasonable frosts in the winter and cold temperatures early in the spring, the crop is forecast generally to be of good quality.
“After the cold snap in the winter, during which the trees were able to get the dormancy required, we had abundant flowering, but unfortunately during the bloom period there were several days of very low temperatures which had a negative impact on pollination,” said Jesús Martín, general manager of the regulatory council.
The regulatory council has teams of quality control personnel who ensure that fruit quality of the four Picota varieties - Ambrunés, Pico Limón Negro, Pico Negro and Pico Colorado - meets DO standards.
Only fruit from registered orchards is permitted.
Picota volumes are forecast to rise on last season’s levels. The 2004 crop yielded 3,950t, so if forecasts are accurate, Martín is hoping for a 14 per cent hike in volume.
“All indications are that we will have excellent fruit in terms of quality, provided that any inclemency in the weather does not prevent us harvesting all the fruit now on the trees,” he added.
The UK is a huge market for the fruit and Martín anticipates it will receive a quarter of the total Picota crop. “Although this depends on the situation in other markets - mainly Spain and Germany - and the other destinations in which it is distributed,” he said.
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