Farmers take many factors into consideration when deciding which vegetables they'll be growing every year but, undoubtedly, one of the most influential factors is the behaviour of the products throughout the previous crop year.
Once again, with the data being collected from the beginning of the agricultural year 2013-2014, this maxim is being fulfilled. According to the latest Progress Report of the Horticultural Campaign 2012/2013 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment of the Board of Andalucia, the zucchini was the vegetable that achieved the best quotes and, according to sources, it's the vegetable for which acreage has increased the most in the current campaign.
One shouldn't be surprised by the increase in surface being recorded for zucchini this season, especially when one considers that it was sold 23 percent more expensively last year than in the previous one, all with an increased production of 5, 8 percent and 659 hectares.
Similarly, as explained by the COAG -Almeria's provincial secretary and responsible for COAG's State Fruit and Vegetable, Andrés Góngora, "it seems there is an increase in the surface of California peppers and a detriment of Italian ones".
As for the tomatoes, star product of the province, king of the municipalities of Almeria and Nijar, Andrés Góngora explained that, "while it is too early to give actual numbers, it seems to have maintained more or less the same surface as in the 2012/2013 campaign."
It's worth noting that there was an increase of 1,234 acres for tomatoes in the previous crop year. Furthermore, according to the latest official figures from the Board of Andalusia, production increased by 3.5 percent, reaching 962,663 tonnes. Meanwhile, the value received by farmers also improved; in this case by 6.8 percent until reaching 566 million euro.
Another product that, at the very least, is maintaining its surface with respect to the previous season is the cucumber; this, however, could increase due to the last minute late sowings.
Finally, there has been a noticeable decrease in the surface of eggplants this September, as it was a vegetable with a 22,2 percent reduction in the last season; its price, however, improved by 16.7 percent over the previous season.
There are more early products in Poniente and Levante, except in Dalias and Berja, this year.
Source: Fhalmeria.com