In general terms, plum cultivation in Spain has recorded a significant decline over the last 15 years. The acreage has been reduced from over 20,000 hectares in 2007 to 13,245 in 2022. However, there are still regions, such as Aragon, where the acreage and production have not only remained stable, but have even recorded a positive trend since 2014, according to data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture.
That year is actually considered a "turning point" for the stone fruit industry. Since then, Aragon has seen its acreage grow by 24.5%, to more than 1,300 hectares. Those crops are managed by companies like Jardinfruit.
"Our farms are in the municipality of Sabiñán, in the Calatayud region of Zaragoza," said Felipe Raga. "In that area we grow various green varieties, such as the Claudia Reina or Claudia Tolosa, and red-skinned varieties, such as the Arandana, President or Anna Spath."
"This year, the campaign in our area has been divided into varieties, because each of them has had a different fruit setting. In the case of the Claudia Reina, the fruit setting fell short at the time of the flowering and there have been fewer kilos, but, in general, the rest of the varieties have done well, both in terms of calibers and volumes."
"We work mainly with Mercamadrid and Mercabarna, and through the latter, our plums go to France, but we focus on the national markets. August is usually a disastrous month because of the summer holidays, with practically no sales," said Felipe. "We hope that in September sales will speed up, since we will be able to offer fruit to the market until practically the beginning of November."
For more information:
Jardinfruit
Carretera Paracuellos s/n
50299 Sabiñán, Zaragoza, Spain
Tel.: +34 679 163 805
[email protected]