The stonefruit sector in the Spanish growing region of Valencia is facing crisis with an estimated 30 per cent of its crop lost to frost, hail, disease and abandonment.
In five years the area under production has plummeted by 62 per cent to 3,443ha this year and output stands at just a fifth of what it was 10 years ago.
This season the crop has suffered from sharp variations in temperature in January with levels below 0°C recorded over several nights in a row. Since then there has been persistent rainfall and more recently hail. Grower members of the Ava-Asaja organistion in the region have estimated that some of them have lost between 40 and 100 per cent of their crop. The most damage has been endured by the earliest cropping types which suffered problems with fruit set and skin condition.
The monilia fungus has returned this season to bring problems to growers as it did in 2009. Cristóbal Aguada, Ava-Asaja president said: “Despite following strictly the recommendations for control issued by the Valencia regional executive, this virulent disease has returned and in some extreme cases is threatening the viability of entire orchards.” Aguado is calling on the plant-health authorities to investigate and take drastic action to contain the spread of the disease.
Grubbing up of orchards and their substitution with other more profitable crops also accounts for some of the decline and Aguado is very clear where the blame for this situation lies. He said: “If the authorities do not take a step forward and stamp out abuses on the part of the supermarket chains to achieve fair pricing then this sector will continue in decline.”
The stonefruit harvest started in Valencia last week some 10 to 20 days late, varying by individual plantation, due to the climatic conditions. Aguado said: “With the high quality and low volume offer, we will be hoping this is reflected by a rise in prices.”
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