Production of strawberries in the key region of Huelva in south-western Spain suffered from torrential rainfall earlier this week and over the weekend which is affecting quality and supply.

According to importers, there have been problems with boyritis mould affecting production.

'The weather before Easter was quite good, but since then there has been a lot rain,' said John Grieve of Lisons. 'Growers are managing to pick through it, but will be short of a lot of fruit.' Prices have been low on wholesale markets because of the quality problems making up to only 25p a punnet.

Lisons is hopeful that prices will move up a notch next week as the shortage starts to be felt on the marketplaces. And depending on prices, quality and market forces, Spain is likely only to have another four weeks to run at most.

This is confirmed by Ian Waller at AFI Direct Sales. He reports strong demand for the fruit in the UK. 'There are promotions on the high street and sales are buoyant,' said Waller. 'But overall the Spanish season has been very, very difficult. They have not had a consistent run of good weather with conditions starting off wet and cold and the low temperatures lasting a long time. Now there has been a lot of rain and with the heat, it creates problems with boyritis.' Growers are likely to be examining their focus on strawberries closely at season's end as the previous two years have not been particularly good for producers either. Raspberries are developing as an interesting alternative in the region and with a higher tolerance of warm humid conditions, have not been as badly affected as strawberries this season.

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