According to La Unió Llauradora, the high temperatures of recent weeks and the absence of rain are marking the beginning of the medlar harvesting campaign in the region of Marina Baixa.
"The high temperatures and the intense sun at this time of year shortened the pollination period and advanced the campaign by approximately two weeks. This will reduce the quality of the medlar, which is a very sensitive fruit, causing damage to its skin, such as purple spots. In addition, calibers will be smaller than usual because of the weather. These weather issues will affect production, so there will be fewer kilos to market."
However, the organization stressed, the sweetness and taste of this first spring fruit are more than assured. As a result of the little rain that the crops have received, despite the decrease in size, the quality of the fruit has improved. It is sweeter and more concentrated, with excellent sugar and acid levels."
Moreover, production costs in this campaign are estimated to have increased by more than 30% due to the rise in the prices of fertilizers, packaging, greenhouse plastics, transport, and irrigation water, among others. "There are also problems to get the labor to collect the fields because it is a very short campaign, the product must all be manually harvested, and the job is located in an area where tourism absorbs a lot of employment."
La Unió is committed to varietal change in cultivation to get new earlier and later varieties to stagger production and optimize the resources of farmers.
The medlar of Callosa d'en Sarrià and Marina Baixa is a prestigious fruit thanks to its quality and branding, and it is recognized with a protected denomination of origin.
For more information:
La Unió
https://launio.org