At the moment, courgette prices remain at around 0.20 Euro/kilo at final auction sales and at 0.35 Euro/kilo at opening sales; really low compared to the usual prices registered at this time of the year, of around 0.80 Euro/kilo.
This is the result of oversupply, especially during the months of January and February. "Courgette production volumes increased, and although not to levels too out of the ordinary, demand at this time of the year is not sufficient to absorb them all," explains Juan Sillero, from the technical department of Frutas Escobi.
"The New Delhi virus caused severe damages in October, forcing growers to destroy most of their plants and wait until November to replant them, when nights became colder and the population of white flies dropped. After the extra costs this entailed, the replanting has caused production volumes to peak at a time when courgette supply levels are usually lower," he continues.
The New Delhi virus causes the plant's development to paralyse, which results in bad quality fruit, characterised by a skin roughness that reduces its market value. For now, the Amblyseius swirskii insect, the natural enemy of white flies (the virus vector), is managing to keep the illness under control.
"Normally, demand is higher in the spring, just when production volumes increase as a result of the longer hours of sunshine and better weather conditions. That is also the time when supermarket promotions normally start. Of all the vegetables grown in Almeria, courgettes are the most sensitive to supply and demand fluctuations and we expect the season to end with reasonable prices, as long as we can keep the New Delhi virus under control."
