The region of Calatayud is about to finish harvesting its cherries, putting an end to the campaign in Aragon, which kicked off in Mequinenza (Bajo Cinca) and Caspe in early May. The region's total production has been estimated at 25,000 tonnes and is the largest in Spain.
The agricultural organization UAGA reported in a statement that the campaign is considered a "very good" one in terms of production, quality, prices and employment, Poland, Italy, Greece and Hungary are the major competitors.
Aragon's cherry acreage continues to expand and has gone from 7,570 declared hectares in 2015 to 8,158 this year. This is mostly due to the low prices of other fruits, such as peaches, nectarines and Paraguayo peaches, as well as for the increase in their popularity, the short production cycles, the improvements in post-harvest preservation or its toughness, which facilitates their transport for export. Cherries are definitely a growing crop in Aragon, where there will soon be new varieties and new production areas able to produce all year round.
The province of Huesca accounts for 9% of Aragon's acreage, with most of the hectares being irrigated. This acreage is 20% greater than in 2015, with the region of Bajo Cinca accounting for 82% of the total.
For its part, Teruel has 1.2% of the region's total cherry acreage, with crops mostly in Bajo Aragón, which has 73 hectares.
Zaragoza is the province with the most hectares, as it accumulates nearly 90% of the total. 44% of this acreage is rainfed, while the other 56% is irrigated. For the year 2015, the area planted with cherry trees has increased by 7%. By counties, most of the production is in Calatayud, with 3,130 hectares, followed by La Almunia, with 2,605 hectares and Caspe, with 1,328 hectares.
Source: EFE