With the stonefruit season closing, Spanish growers have been left disappointed as lower volumes have not led to strong returns.
According to the coalition of agricultural organisations, Coag, nectarine output fell by 23 per cent, peach by 12 per cent, plum by 11 per cent and cherry by two per cent. The only stonefruit line that enjoyed a greater volume crop than last season was apricots.
David Borda, who heads up the stonefruit section at Coag said: “Despite having had a more even spread of varieties coming onto the marketplace in a timely manner, better demand for the fruit and less pressure in terms of supply volume, average prices have not been in line with forecasts.
Early stonefruit varieties did well, with good eating quality and no problems with pest or disease. Average prices were around the €0.80-1.20 a kilo mark. However, during the height of the season, peach prices fell to just €0.35-0.45 a kilo and apricots averaged €0.45 per kg.
