The start of this year’s Spanish Picota campaign is set to be delayed by up to a week, as a result of low temperatures that have been registered in the region over recent weeks.
According to Protected Denomination of Origin association DO Cereza Del Jerte, the 2010 campaign is now expected to begin on the week commencing 21st June, with main volumes coming on stream from the following week.
Pilar Diaz Flores from the Extremadura-based association told Fruitnet that although it was “too early” to give approximate figures on production for this campaign, the potential harvest could total as high as 8,500 tonnes.
A further factor that could influence the success of the campaign is the possible long-term impact of the heavy rains that swept across southern Spain during January and early February this year.
However, Ms Diaz said it was still too soon to evaluate whether the crop had suffered any damage, adding that any repercussions were likely to be seen in the quality of the end products.
Pictota cherries have, over recent years, consolidated their position as the preeminent cherry variety for Spain, both in terms of domestic consumption and for major export markets, such as Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.
An estimated 50 per cent of the total Picota crop is exported to principally the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, with the remainder sold within Spain.
The DO has staged successful promotional campaigns in Germany and the UK since 1998, with the support of Spanish export agency ICEX and the regional government of Extremadura, and plans to again run campaigns in the two markets this year.
The majority of Spanish Picota production is located within Extremadura and the association counts some 3,200 growers among its membership who produce certified cherries on a total of over 9,500ha. The DO last year produced 7,500 tonnes of cherries.
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