"We cannot imagine the drama that has taken place in Spain, especially Valencia. There are cooperatives where roads were swept away, roofs collapsed and machinery flooded. Companies were left without power and telephone service, not to mention the suffering in people's homes," says Pieter de Ruiter of 4Fruit Company.
At the product level, he says persimmons were hit the hardest. "The region where a lot of persimmons are grown has been hit the hardest, which is becoming a problem. To what extent citrus has been hit, I dare not comment on that. We may get fewer oranges and tangerines in the next two or three weeks, which might recover in a month, but there is no longer that hope with the persimmons."
"Almeria too has had its share of problems, especially around El Ejido where there are several cooperatives. However, it does seem to be mainly the older greenhouses there that have suffered damage, but even there water has entered the packing stations, so locally there has been damage. Furthermore, they are now facing logistical struggles. Traditionally the trucks from Almeria go over Murcia and Valencia, but they now have to drive over Madrid to Bordeaux, which in itself is a fine option."
"We also unloaded a few trucks on Saturday that were supposed to come in on Friday. Now that is not the problem, but there will certainly be more delays in the coming weeks. For instance, it also rained heavily at the end of last week in Seville. That results in a few days of harvest delay. After degreening and packing, that trade will not be in the Netherlands until week 47 at the earliest."
"Murcia too has had a lot of water on it. A crop like iceberg lettuce will suffer quickly, and cauliflower and broccoli can generally take a hit. Pomegranates in Alicante can also take a beating. In terms of fresh produce, the center of gravity of the damage is really with the cockle crop, although this is dwarfed by all the human suffering and the many deaths. Because again, we cannot imagine the tragedy."
For more information:
Pieter de Ruiter
4 Fruit Company
Handelsweg 30
2988 DB Ridderkerk
+31 (0)180 641902
[email protected]
www.4fruitcompany.nl