The stone fruit season is underway in Catalonia and the supply will soon reach its peak. The bad weather in Northern Europe has so far not helped boost sales and the excess of small sizes has put nectarine prices under pressure, even before the start of the season.
"We are going to have a slightly lower production in Lleida compared to last year, with higher quality fruit in general, although with worse market conditions so far," says Albert Carnicé, sales director of Copa Fresh, a producer and marketer of stone and top fruit located in Mollerussa, in the Spanish province of Lleida.
"So far, the nectarine market has been under pressure due to the great amount of small fruit, which is something that tends to happen with the earliest harvests. Because of this, small-sized nectarines are being sold in baskets for one euro. However, good and stable prices are paid for large-sized fruit because there isn't a lot available," he says.
"As far as peaches are concerned, there is a small production gap in the market in Spain, as well as in Greece, so prices have risen a little," says the sales director of Copa Fresh.
As for apricots, Albert says that "in the last two weeks, the lack of demand combined with the harvest of large volumes of two or three varieties has caused prices to fall by around 50 cents per kilo. It seems that France has a good production this year, and so do Greece and Turkey. In general, every year there is more production in Eastern countries or in Germany itself, as well as in Albania or Kazakhstan, and this is putting pressure on the supply increasingly sooner."
The cold and rainy weather in several northern European countries has not encouraged consumption. "We have been affected by a consumption crisis that was already visible in this latest pear and apple season, which started with very high prices up until January due to the fall in the Italian production. Although sales were not very high until then, very few pears have been sold from February to June, and the clash with imports from the Southern Hemisphere has caused prices to plummet," says Albert Carnicé.
"The next 15 to 20 days will determine the mood of the stone fruit season. If we have large sizes available, the demand in Northern Europe improves and if we are able to increase the price of baskets by around 15 cents with medium sizes and a good quality, it could be a good stone fruit season," says the sales director of Copa Fresh.
The firm, like other companies in Lleida, has changed its strategy when it comes to the distribution of land between stone and top fruit. "We are devoting fewer hectares to stone fruit in order to focus more on pears and apples, which are our greatest assets. We are interested in working with a more stable volume throughout the year, avoiding the stress that comes with specific campaigns where a lot of volume arrives in a short period of time."
For more information:
Albert Carnicé
Copa Fresh
Tel.: +34 973603915
[email protected]
www.copafresh.com