The Spanish garlic season has started in the Castile-La Mancha region with good sizes for the Spring Violet garlic, although not for purple garlic, whose sizes are not as expected. "The Spring garlic harvest was good until the last part of the season, when rains damaged a lot of the garlic that had not yet been harvested, but fortunately, the purple garlic harvest hasn't been affected by any unexpected incidences," says Carlos Soriano, production manager at Soriano Aparicio S.L., a garlic and onion specialist. "As far as prices are concerned, they rose sharply at the beginning of the season and then stabilized."
In fact, in mid-September, the average price of garlic in Spain stood 35.4% above the average of the previous five seasons for Spring garlic and 21.1% for purple garlic.
In this 2024 season, there has been a notable reduction of the acreage devoted to purple garlic, the Spanish garlic par excellence, and after two consecutive years falling, it now for the first time represents less than 40% of the total cultivated area.
"We believe purple garlic is worth defending, as it has a better taste and a longer shelf life and it is a local product that allows us to differentiate ourselves. The problem is that it is becoming more and more difficult to grow it," says Carlos, "mainly because of the weather, the seed supply, the difficult handling and the low yields compared to the Spring Violet."
"The Spring Violet isn't immune to problems, because during the harvesting season, rainfall can reduce the quality of the production. However, in the end, the higher production costs and sales prices that don't make up for them are leading growers to increasingly opt for Spring Violet garlic."
"Yellow onion prices are currently low and the demand is very weak"
Garlic is a very important product for Soriano Aparicio S.L., as it is selling about 2,500 tons per season; however, the company stands out for its onion production and is a leader in the specialty segment.
"We are currently producing red, white, sweet, Figueras and some yellow onion. We aim to adapt to any changes in consumer demand. Consumers will look for onions suited to the use they are planning to give them, so we listen to our clients' needs and try to meet them."
"Yellow onion prices are currently low and the demand is very weak, although we are still at the beginning of the marketing season. As far as specialty onions are concerned, they have all unfortunately recorded significant increases in the production, as we've seen with yellow onions, so prices are following the same trend as those of yellow onions."
"We can supply local production practically all year round".
Soriano Aparicio is a family company founded in 1973, with more than half a century of history and experience in the garlic and onion segment. "We are large in size, but with a close relationship with our clients, which is what sets us apart," he says. "We adapt to the needs of each client and we are always trying to implement improvements in cultivation, processing and marketing techniques. Also, thanks to our large cold storage capacity (41,000 m³), we can cover our clients' needs practically all year round with local production."
"Last year, we celebrated our 50th anniversary and we hope to be able to continue serving our customers for many more years."
Soriano family.
For more information:
Soriano Aparicio S.L.
Mercabarna
Pavello D 4008 4009 4010
08040 Barcelona
Polígono Industrial Camporrosso, C/ Cuenca 1
02520. Chinchilla de Montearagón, Albacete. Spain
Tel.: +34 644 618 802
[email protected]
https://www.sorianoaparicio.com