"Spanish growers have become much more cautious and are taking a wait-and-see approach. Climate change is causing unexpected, significant shifts in weather conditions, which can have a major impact on cultivation and, in turn, availability. Additionally, new viruses and diseases are creating production challenges and leading to adjustments in growing practices that previously either didn't exist or had less impact. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make fixed agreements with growers in Spain, as the uncertainty and risks are growing, making it harder for them to accurately predict their production," says Ton Bouw, Manager of Import and Purchasing at The Greenery. In this article, he shares his outlook on the market situation for Spain's five major vegetable crops.
Aubergines: fewer planted than last year
"Overall, fewer aubergines have been planted in Spain compared to last year. Growers chose to plant later, leading to limited production in the first few weeks of the season. This reduced availability coincided with declining production in the Netherlands, resulting in strong demand and good prices at the start of the season. Currently, production is in full swing, and prices have dropped to a low level, but with the upcoming end of the Dutch growing season, the situation is expected to normalize."
Courgettes: More volume expected in second half of season
"We expect lower courgette volumes in the first half of the season, with more production coming in the second half. Growers are increasingly choosing to plant later due to concerns about viruses that thrive in high August temperatures and can significantly damage crops. In recent years, more virus-resistant varieties, particularly against the New Delhi virus, have entered the market, but finding solutions for problems like aphids and whiteflies during hot periods remains challenging."
"The cold and wet weather in September across parts of Europe caused a drop in production, and combined with limited production in Spain, this has led to high prices that persist today. Extreme weather in places like Italy is also expected to create additional demand in Spain, so we don't expect much change in the market situation in the coming period," Ton explains.
Peppers: More customers switching to Spain in the coming weeks
"In pepper cultivation, the trend is also toward planting later due to concerns about diseases, particularly thrips, which have been causing issues for a few years now," says the import manager. "The pepper acreage has remained more or less the same. Harvesting started a few weeks ago, mainly producing smaller peppers of lower quality in terms of shelf life. In the coming weeks, volumes will increase, and the peppers will become bigger. As the nights get cooler, the peppers' shelf life will improve. We expect that more customers will switch from Dutch to Spanish peppers in the coming weeks."
Tomatoes: Fear of ToBRFV
"Most tomato growers in Spain planted later this year, while Morocco entered the market earlier. There is widespread fear of the ToBRFV virus, which continues to cause damage. Spanish tomato acreage has declined this year, partly due to concerns about the virus. In both countries, many virus-resistant varieties have been planted," Bouw continues. "Another issue in Spain is the poor prices from last year, which have reduced profitability. Profitability was already under pressure due to rising labor costs. In Morocco, growers are increasingly opting for baby plum tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes because more resistant varieties are available in this segment, as well as rising demand for baby plum tomatoes."
Cucumber: Demand still moderate due to overlap with Netherlands
"More cucumbers have been planted this year compared to last year. Initially, the quality was lower with a shorter shelf life, but the quality has improved significantly. The demand and prices for Spanish cucumbers remain moderate, as there is still an overlap with Dutch cucumber production."
For more information
Ton Bouw
The Greenery
+31 612 607 951
[email protected]
www.thegreenery.com