Spain: Vegetable production to continue falling

Lower autumn temperatures have caused drops in the production of Almeria's vegetables, such as cucumbers, peppers and courgettes, among others, leading to an increase in prices. "In general, the campaign is being really good for Almeria's horticultural products," says Alberto Esparza, of Hortofrutícola Costa de Almería S.L.

"There was oversupply during the 3 weeks prior to Christmas due to unusually high temperatures, which led to lower prices. Right now between 3 and 4ºC are being registered at night, and whenever temperatures go below 7ºC, plants take longer to produce, although quality is still good," he explains. "The cold winter weather is already here, so production will continue to fall in the coming weeks."

Located in the town of Roquetas de Mar, Hortofrutícola Costa de Almería S.L. commercialises every vegetable traditionally grown in Almeria, with cucumbers and peppers being its flagship products, which the firm exports under the MANDO brand. Its cucumber varieties include the Almeria or Dutch, the short Spanish and the French. "Without a doubt, Almeria cucumbers are the most demanded, mainly in Spain and France, and the short Spanish variety is exclusively shipped to Russia."

At the moment, cucumber prices stand at 1 to 1.10 Euro per kilo for growers, "which is considered a relatively good price," adds Alberto Esparza. Pepper prices stand at 0.95 to 0.98 Euro per kilo, and the firm commercialises the Lamuyo, California and Italian varieties, as well as the newest sweet seedless variety, 'Sweet Life', developed by Syngenta, "a product which is now being introduced into the market with plenty of success," he says. "It is costlier to produce, but it offers value added."

Processed Products

The firm also supplies oven-baked peppers. "It is a preservative-free product that can be kept for six months without refrigeration thanks to a pasteurisation process. Additionally, we use especially designed PP/EVOH/PP trays to pack the product, which keep the peppers' organoleptic properties intact," explains Mª Victoria Delgado, of the Processed Products Department. "Under the QDelicias brand, we commercialise whole and sliced peppers in three different colours (red, green and yellow), intended for both retail and the Food Service industry.

For more information:
Alberto Esparza, [email protected]
Marivi Delgado, [email protected]
Hortofrutícola Costa de Almería S.L.
T: +34 950 326 232
www.hcostadealmeria.com
www.qdelicias.es