This week, the earliest varieties of seedless table grapes are already being harvested in the Spanish Region of Murcia, the country's main table grape producing and exporting area. The volumes are still limited and it will take another two or three weeks before more significant volumes are available.
"We are already leaving the stone fruit season behind and our focus will now be on table grapes, which we have started to harvest this week in our earliest plantations," says David Franco, Sales Director for Grupo Paloma.
"As we already saw with stone fruit, the harvest is also starting earlier than last year thanks to weather conditions that have been highly suitable for this crop. Rainfall has been scarce both in winter and spring and temperatures have remained rather stable, with a good contrast between day and night, so we are expecting normal volumes and a high quality production," says David Franco.
"In our growing area, we'll be able to start the season between 15 and 20 days earlier than in Murcia, so we'll have a campaign of up to four months and we should be in a good position to compete with Egypt, which now dominates the international markets. From this moment on, we already have the production and the capacity to serve large-scale European retailers," says the Sales Director of Grupo Paloma.
Grupo Paloma is fully involved in the ITUM program for early varieties. "We mainly produce and market seedless red grapes, but in 2025, we'll be working again with seedless white varieties, which are ready to be grown in our area between July and October and will meet high standards in terms of flavor", says David Franco.
"It is obvious that the growth of agriculture in various Mediterranean countries besides Spain, such as Egypt, Greece or Turkey, has created a more competitive environment, and we are already seeing that in the case of table grapes," he says. "Some buyers are gradually switching from Egypt to Spain as soon as the production becomes available, although the Spanish production is mainly available from late July to October."
The company expects to produce between 6 and 7 million kilos of seedless table grapes, 95% of which is intended for export, mainly to the United Kingdom and Germany. "In Spain, we have something that other Mediterranean growers don't have when it comes to exporting to our destination markets, and that is proximity. This factor, together with the high level of varietal development and the efficient service provided, make Spanish tables grapes a premium choice."
For more information:
David Franco
Grupo Paloma
Tel.: +34 968590001
[email protected]
www.gpaloma.com