Last week, the apricot harvest started in the Spanish region of Aragon, in Bajo Cinca, although volumes are still small. "We expect a campaign with very high quality, decent sizes, and good volumes, not only for apricots, but for all stone fruits," says José Casas, from Frutas Ponti. "This year, we haven't had any frosts or hailstorms, and in the Bajo Cinca area, we've had plenty of water throughout the campaign, so we're anticipating a very good harvest."
"We are already starting to work with the production for Europe, mainly for Germany, but not for France. This year, there's a bit of uncertainty regarding the French market because of the packaging law in France. We would need to export everything in cardboard baskets with biodegradable flowpack, and our own suppliers are having trouble getting the necessary materials."
The law, called Loi anti-gaspillage pour une économie circulaire (better known as the AGEC law), and which is mandatory for all companies wishing to sell their products in the French market, aims for the total disappearance of single-use plastic packaging in France by 2040 under the Extended Producer Responsibility Principle.
This means that those manufacturing, handling, processing, selling or importing waste-generating products must prevent and manage the waste they produce; that is, they are responsible for the entire life cycle of the products they market.
"We are interested in seeing how Murcia is doing. As of today, there are no clear packaging specifications or stock. We have already ordered the biodegradable flowpack allowed for export to France, but it will still take a month to arrive, so we will start working with them when we can, and if we can't, we will look for other markets, since in the rest of Europe, baskets with nets or plastic flowpacks can still be used," says José.
"For now, we expect a very good production in our area, unlike other areas of Aragon or Catalonia, where they have had issues with the cold and some harvests have been somewhat reduced, including that of top fruit. Losses of up to 50% have been recorded with the first cherries due to the April and May rains, but for the remaining varieties, as well as the other stone fruits, the prospects are quite good."
For more information:
Frutas Ponti
C/ Fraga100
22528 Velilla de Cinca, Spain
Tel.: +34 974 461 511
[email protected]
www.frutasponti.com