Last week, the first Gala apples of the new harvest began to arrive on the market. Agronomist Miguel Sabbadini, technical manager of the Argentine Chamber of Integrated Fruit Growers (CAFI) explains that these usually have a good price.
The average price of this fruit fluctuated until a few days ago between 300 and 400 pesos per kilo, although in some cases of premium products it could reach 700 or even 1,000 pesos per kilo.
Of the preserved fruit, according to Sabbadini, very little remains: around the month of May that residue should end and only the fruit of the current campaign would remain, much more abundant than the previous one. “Last year there weren’t many apples and it was of poor quality, so very little was kept in the vaults and today there are very few left. This year the harvest is much more important and the quality is very good. In ten days, the new Red Delicious, preferred by the Argentines, will start arriving on the market, which will lower the price of the Gala,” explains Sabbadini.
According to a recent survey, 77% of Argentine apples are produced in the province of Río Negro, Neuquén contributes 15% and the remaining 8% is produced by Mendoza. Sabbadini specifies it there have been only two frosts this year and that producers who got things right weren’t affected. Drought is not a problem even for the cultivation of seeds, because apples and pears are produced in very arid areas, always under irrigation.
Source: newsrebeat.com