Spanish fruit and vegetable growers in the major production region of Almeria have suffered major volume decreases in key products, including tomatoes and peppers, during the 2009/10 season, although the sector has been buoyed by better prices.
In its report on the recent campaign, regional fresh produce association Asaja Almeria, said fruit and vegetable volumes in the province had fallen by 7 per cent compared with the season before, while the total production area had also decreased by 1.7 per cent.
However, the group told a press conference that prices received by Almeria’s growers had improved by 3.6 per cent compared with the 2008/09 campaign, although it said this was principally due to lower local production and a decrease in imports.
Despite this, Asaja Almeria’s president, Francisco Vargas, said that producers in the province had suffered losses totaling €390m – or €15,000 per ha – during the season, as a result of heavy rains earlier this year, reported regional daily Ideal.
The rains and flooding led to a 13 per cent fall in tomato production and a 4 per cent drop in pepper volumes compared with the previous campaign, with the production area for the former also decreasing by 6.2 per cent, he said.
By contrast, courgette volumes in Almeria increased by 5.8 per cent, while production area rose by 7.7 per cent and prices were on average 17 per cent higher than the season before.
Mr Vargas said that although the campaign as a whole could not be described as “positive”, improved prices “for almost all vegetables” between January and June meant that growers received a “fair income” for their labours.
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