Canary Island producers are watching the weather very closely this season and must surely feel that they are due a lucky break. Tropical Storm Delta had a devastating impact on tomato operations in 2005/06, wiping out volumes in just a few hours.
With many growers getting back on track, they were dealt another blow in early September when sweltering heat in the Canary Islands damaged new tomato plants, leading to increased costs.
Temperatures reached a high of 36°C in some areas and grower-exporter association Fedex-Asaja says young plants were desiccated.
Certainly, high temperatures during the first two weeks of September principally affected the younger tomato plants at the flowering stage, resulting in a small loss of fruit, says Jose Hernandez of Fortuna Frutos.
However, he reports that the situation improved as the season progressed: “Thankfully the extreme heat has subsided and optimum temperatures have prevailed since mid-September,” he says. “We believe that any effects arising from the temporary heatwave will be insignificant.”
Ramon Malo, director of Allfruit International agrees. “Although temperatures were quite high during a brief period in September, it was not very unusual and as far as we are concerned, there are no serious adverse effects to our crops,” he says. “As things progress at the moment, we anticipate a normal season, with normal quantities of good-quality fruit.”
Opinion differs over the size of this season’s tomato crop, however. In September, Canary Island grower-exporter association Fedex-Aceto warned that tomato production could be down on last year by as much as 25 per cent.
But Malo believes that this estimate could be “misleading”. Both he and Hernandez say fewer tomatoes have been planted, mainly due to the fact that some growers have decided to discontinue because of the poor results of the last few seasons. However, compared to last season, overall quantities may not be so badly affected.
“We at the Allfru Group believe that if, as it is hoped, we have a normal growing season, without adverse climatic conditions, our quantities will be higher than last season,” Malo says.
Andrew Zerpa of Victoria Trading says its growers have maintained similar areas to last season. “However, our information suggests that some other growers have reduced their areas in Tenerife and to a lesser extent in Gran Canaria,” he says. “The volume of tomatoes shipped will depend on two major factors: the weather and the surface area planted.”
According to Foods from Spain (FfS), the Canary Islands normally export around 205,000 tonnes of tomatoes to Europe. “We expect the overall crop to be only slightly less than that this season, at just over 200,000t,” says a spokesperson.
The Canary Islands has taken a fresh approach this season and Steve Cornwell, sales procurement director of SpaniaFresh Produce Ltd, insists overproduction and poor selection is a thing of the past. “There will be at least 30 per cent less production this year and that is confirmed through seed houses and plantings,” he says.
Importers are on course to receive their first shipments of Canary Islands tomatoes in mid-October, and Hernandez anticipates these will increase steadily to reach full volumes by the beginning of November.
Having to contend with atypical weather conditions for three years running and unrestricted supply from other countries have indeed forced Canary Island growers to streamline their operations, Hernandez tells FPJ.
“Hurricane Delta prematurely closed the 2005/06 season in February for many growers who saw years of hard work and investment wiped out in a few hours,” he says. “The availability from the Canary Islands decreased. However, prices continued to be substantially below the average production costs. Sustaining this situation exerted extreme financial pressure on all concerned, which has led to many rationalising plantations and others withdrawing from the business altogether.”
Those that are keen to go the distance, however, have invested heavily in their facilities, including refurbishing packhouses, renovating equipment, introducing new systems and adopting high technology glasshouses.
According to Hernandez, fundamental, costly changes are being undertaken to ensure plantations increase productivity of Class I fruit. “The sector is constantly evolving to meet customer demands and incorporating new technology and multi-tunnel structures also significantly reduces virus vulnerability,” says Hernandez.
Investment and research into growing techniques and new varieties is a cost many small growers can ill afford. But, by merging with stronger partners the benefit is obvious for all concerned, Hernandez claims: “With increased availability of superior-quality fruit we are better-equipped to stave off competition from other countries.”
Spain and Morocco are key competitors for the Canary Islands but Cornwell says Spain has ever-increasing problems with changing weather patterns. Moroccan growers are increasing their activities and specialising in fresh produce such as cherry tomatoes. The country enjoys cheaper labour costs but Cornwell says that these volumes tend to be exported to France and Germany, rather than the UK.
The ability to develop new varieties of the traditional round tomato and diversify into popular lines such as cherry tomatoes and cherry tomatoes on the vine has to be a key priority.
Indeed, one main challenge faced last season was the general oversupply of round tomatoes, Zerpa says. “Principally caused by a large increase in speculative production from other growing regions, this oversupply had the impact of driving down values and hence profits for both growers and retailers,” he adds.
Victoria Trading is cautiously optimistic that this season’s supply will better match demand.
Fortuna Frutos has increased the number of hectares dedicated to speciality varieties by 15 per cent compared to last season, devoting more land to cherry-on-the-vine, plum and cocktail tomatoes.
Varietal development in tomatoes has been exploited very well and Zerpa believes the key to demand could be to increase the amount of times the fruit is eaten. This could be done by making the product easier to consume as a snack or by emphasising its flexibility and hence potential as a cooking ingredient, and not just the traditional salad, Zerpa says.
“Our tomatoes are the tastiest tomatoes on offer during the winter months,” Hernandez claims. “But although the Canary Islands have been exporting tomatoes for over 100 years, we take nothing for granted.”
Taking nothing for granted is a lesson Canary Island growers, in particular tomato growers, have learnt the hard way over the past few seasons. But all those involved in the supply chain have a responsibility to act, Malo says.
“The losses of the last few season cannot be sustained and further casualties are inevitable unless we all address the situation and come up with measures to make growing tomatoes a viable proposition,” he warns.
The tomato sector has certainly endured its fair share of problems, but other Canary Island salads are faring better. Allfruit International, which is the marketing arm for five co-operatives in Tenerife, will handle ‘moderate’ quantities of cucumbers this season, says Malo.
“We hope this will set the foundations for future increased quantities,” he tells FPJ. “The Canary Islands need to maintain and improve, wherever possible, the quality standards in order to compete.”
According to Fortuna Frutos, the last few cucumber seasons have delivered satisfactory results for its growers. First consignments are due to land in the UK in December. Volumes will then increase steadily to achieve full production during the mid-January to late March period.
“With production commencing in the Canary Islands just as the Spanish mainland enters the final stages, our customers have recognised that we are able to offer volume at competitive prices with consistent quality,” Hernandez says. “To meet demand from the UK and the continent, this season we will increase our own cucumber production by 20 per cent.”
Victoria Trading will handle similar volumes of cucumbers compared to last season and Zerpa says the firm has enjoyed ‘excellent results’ following improvements made to its growing techniques and structures yielding high-quality cucumbers with good colour throughout the season.
“This has generated a lot of confidence in our retail partners, particularly in light of the problems consistently experienced by other growing regions in January, February and March,” Zerpa says. “As with tomatoes, we are optimistic of good volumes with the normal high quality and availability during times of the year when other regions may fail.”
Times are changing in the Canary Islands and this is being felt across the salad sector. “Consolidation and re-grouping is happening fast and furious, and growers are thinking differently about the future,” Cornwell says. “Survival is the buzzword so this season will be crucial for winter salads.”
“The more committed growers are not shying away from their responsibilities,” says Cornwell, adding that SpaniaFresh Produce will consolidate its position further this season.
He says: “Our volumes will rise 18 per cent this season due to the fact that we have more of our own production in cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and aubergines on Gran Canaria. We feel more confident this year as a group and we are constantly talking to new clients in the UK and Europe.”
The Canary Islands is well known for enjoying a host of natural advantages; an average 2,500 hours of sunshine in a year, little rain during the November-March period, the highest light levels in Europe and favourable volcanic soil.
It is also an important supplier during the spring when northern European crops are limited, Zerpa says.
FfS handles the promotional campaign for Canary Island salads and this year’s activities will include advertising on radio slots with Asda FM, posters at Sainsbury’s and Morrisons stores and a large-scale on-pack promotion to encourage purchase, says Maria José Sevilla, director of FfS. “We want to inform shoppers about the long history of tomato production on the Canary Islands, and recent developments such as the use of wind power.
“We are also placing features in key consumer magazines and advertising in the trade press which will complement a public relations campaign for Canary Islands tomatoes,” she adds.
The UK is certainly an essential customer for Fortuna Frutos and 35 per cent of its total production is shipped to Southampton.
But the UK government needs to act to encourage further consumption of fresh produce, according to Hernandez. “Stepping up promotional activity with attractive easy recipes for meals and fresh juices that appeal to children and adults alike is just one small initiative,” he says. “I would like to see the introduction of a specific fresh fruit and vegetable benefit scheme for low-income families. So often we hear that they simply cannot afford to buy fresh produce.”
Hernandez believes this would revolutionise fresh produce consumption. “This programme could be funded by a tiny percentage of the disproportionate taxes that are applied to fuel in the UK,” he adds.
Protection of the environment and conservation is also high on its list of priorities. Fortuna Frutos claims that it’s the biggest group from the Canary Islands to implement Integrated Crop Management (ICM) systems.
“Currently, around 65 per cent of the total number of hectares we have in production is managed in this way, with the close collaboration of Koppert Management Systems,” Hernandez explains.
The constant need to renovate and move forward has meant that the group has forged strong relationships with growers on the Spanish mainland.
“These partnerships have multiplied our product range to include a long and varied list of salad and vegetable lines which we supply to a diverse customer base,” Hernandez says. “By working in collaboration, we can work through difficult periods with the minimum or no impact on the final customer.”
No comments yet