Warmer temperatures boost output, partially compensating for earlier losses
The arrival of spring has boosted production for the 2025/26 strawberry season in the Spanish province of Huelva.
After sustaining significant losses in the early part of the season due to storm damage, the latest report from the Price and Market Observatory of the Regional Government of Andalusia shows that volumes to week 16 were down just 5 per cent on the year-earlier period.
Up to mid-March, the supply of strawberries from Huelva had been scarce in international markets, allowing Greek product, along with that from other origins, to gain ground and position itself in market at better prices.
However, an improvement in the weather conditions in Huelva has brought a recovery in production since the second half of March. Despite this, the observatory noted that, “after losing ground in European markets, prices were forced to fall drastically in week 12, although they have remained stable in the last three weeks – from weeks 13 through 15”.
The latest data shows that farmgate prices for all berries in the province continue to decline as a consequence of increased supply. Last week, the reported noted that, after weeks of scarcity, strawberry supply to the international market had begun to recover, while the volume of blueberries “was growing as expected” for this stage of the season.
Raspberries, by contrast, experienced a decline in volume in week 15. The report stated that they had suffered such severe losses in the autumn harvest that even the positive spring harvest had not yet managed to compensate for the earlier fall in production. Nevertheless, it pointed out that production had not yet reached its peak, so it was too early to make forecasts for the entire season.
Blueberry sales volumes are estimated to be down 13 per cent compared to the year-earlier period, although the peak production phase is just beginning. “It remains to be seen whether the volume losses can be offset, even partially, over the coming weeks,” the report said.
The report also highlighted the increase in production costs as a consequence of the war in the Persian Gulf, which it said had led to agricultural inputs reaching record highs in just a few weeks.
