Although still early to draw any conclusions, it appears that practically three out of every four growers devoted to cucumber cultivation will carry out late plantings, between late September and early October.
This was reported by Francisco Vargas, president of Asaja-AlmerÃa, who explained that, "75% of cucumber growers will conduct later harvests, especially because of last season's good prices, although he insisted on it being just a preliminary estimation, as those hectares have yet to be planted.
According to Vargas, the tendency towards the later planting has been detected over the past three campaigns as a result of the high value the vegetable reaches during the winter months. Normally, cucumber sales peak during the months of January and February, accounting for 60% of the plant's production. At this time, prices are reasonable, but production volumes are a bit lower, and consequently prices are higher.
In fact, according to data from the Council of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, Almeria's cucumbers reached the highest prices in January and February, with 0.72 and 0.81 Euro per kilo respectively. In general terms, the product's value peaks between November and March, with prices oscillating between the 0.57 Euro per kilo in March and 0.81 Euro in February.
As for the earlier plantings, which are carried out in July and August, Francisco Vargas confirmed that their numbers are dwindling, and that fewer traders are demanding them compared to previous years.
Lastly, the president of Asaja-Almeria talked about the location of these late cucumber plantations, mainly concentrated in the municipalities of El Ejido and Roquetas de Mar. "Cucumbers are mainly staying by the coast," he concluded.
Source: fhalmeria.com