Murcia's bell pepper harvest started about two weeks early due to high demand and the current gap in Almería for the green sort, which continues to fetch high prices at auctions.
"We've been harvesting and marketing bell peppers in Murcia for about two weeks now, especially of the green sort," says Ángel García Izquierdo, commercial director of the Murcian company Soltir, one of the largest Murcian bell pepper auctions. "The start of the harvest in the Region of Murcia was scheduled for mid-March, but the ripening of the fruits has happened about a week earlier due to the dry and warm climate, which in turn has resulted in a very good quality product."
"Also, the significant demand for green bell peppers and the high prices, ranging between 1.80 and 2 euros at Murcian auctions, has encouraged producers to start earlier with the harvest. Almeria has a good supply of red bell peppers, but there is a shortage of green bell peppers, which are also needed for the three-color packaging formats," he says.
Yields per hectare in Murcia are higher compared to the previous campaign. For now, according to Ángel García, green peppers and some small volumes of the first red peppers continue to be harvested. "Producers are focusing on the green pepper, for which we expect good results in March in terms of prices. This, in turn, will help regulate the production of red peppers ahead of April and prevent an overlap between the end of Almeria and the start of the Dutch campaign."
In general, Murcia's bell pepper acreage remains stable at around 1,500 hectares. Soltir has 310 hectares, with an estimated production of about 22 million kilos of bell peppers and about 18 million kilos of Lamuyo peppers. "We are excited about the good start to the bell pepper campaign after the difficulties experienced with broccoli in January and February due to a high concentration of the supply," says the commercial director of this company.
For more information:
Ángel García Izquierdo
Soltir
Autovía San Javier-Murcia, km 22.
30592 San Cayetano. Murcia, Spain
Tel.: +34 968 334 800
Email: angel@soltir.com
www.soltir.com