Spain: Domestic kaki production expected to exceed 400,000 tonnes

For the upcoming campaign, the Spanish Kaki Association predicts the production will reach approximately 407,000 tonnes. This estimate is based on the figures on the sector handled by Agroseguro. According to this entity, 329,000 tonnes have been insured for the 2017/18 campaign, but taking into account that the producer usually guarantees 15% less of the total harvest, the volume would increase by another 49,000 tonnes. Besides, Huelva usually insures 7,000 tonnes and produces about 35,000.

With these data in mind, the Association predicts that the national production of kakis will exceed 400,000 tonnes; an initial estimate that will depend on the weather conditions. In fact, in the previous campaign, the initial harvest capacity was 360,000 tonnes, but the weather and the reduced calibres took a considerable toll on the volume marketed.

In this context, the Spanish Kaki Association held its general assembly on 11 April; an event in which the results of the 2016 campaign were presented, as well as the scenario and the challenges for the sector ahead of the next campaign and the very near future.

According to the entity's estimations, the average price of kakis last season fell by between 10 and 12 cents. Private traders paid between 25 and 35 cents per kilo at origin. And in the next year, given the expected increase in the production, there will be even more pressure on prices. Therefore, the Spanish Kaki Association lobbies to prioritise the sale of high quality fruit in the fresh market to ensure profitability.

The Association also continues working to try opening new markets in the face of the growing production. Vicente Masiá pointed out that kakis need to cross the borders of the EU. "We cannot stay exclusively in the European market; we must be able to reach the rest of the world. To this end, we continue to work with the Ministry of Agriculture to establish the necessary protocols. In the Association, the countries where we see the most potential are China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Peru or Colombia. These are destinations where we should have the protocols open. In Asia, for example, they are already familiar with the product and we won't need to promote it. Asian countries are, in fact, the main kaki producers. Opening new export destinations would serve to decongest the EU market."