High temperatures in July caused problems in the flowering and the fruit setting, resulting in both quality problems and the loss of significant volumes, which has resulted in very high prices compared to the start of last season.
"Production is already stabilising and now we already have large volumes; these will continue to increase in the coming weeks and we expect a large production in November," explains Indalecio Acien Maleno, of Indasol's sales team. "For us it is better if average prices remain stable; sharp swings benefit no-one, least of all consumers," he points out.
The pepper campaign started for this Almeria-based company in early September; with production areas in Berja and Dalías, it will be able to supply the product until late April, shipping to both European destinations as well as to markets like the United States and Canada by air.
United States and Canada, the most demanding in quality
"We ship to the U.S. and Canada only by air because distances are too great and we do not want to take risks. They are undoubtedly the most demanding markets in terms of quality, which they truly value and pay well."
Indalecio notes that "we would like to further increase our presence in these countries, even though Mexico is present with large volumes and we cannot compete in terms of prices, since its proximity reduces logistics costs. We ship mainly bell peppers, but demand for specialties, such as the Palermo and Sweet Bites, is also on the rise."
Less competition with Israel and Turkey
While the Israeli production is increasingly concentrating in the hands of large exporting groups, since the introduction of the Russian embargo on EU products in the summer of 2014, Israelis have found an interesting niche in this country, where the country, together with Turkey, has significantly increased its exports.
According to Indalecio Acien, "we are facing less competition in Europe with Israel and Turkey; there is less pressure on prices as in previous years and this will certainly benefit us."
Direct sale to supermarkets increasingly interesting
"We are expecting a campaign with stability in both volumes and prices, although this is somewhat difficult to achieve in Almeria, because with the auction model we are more exposed to the weather and prices oscillate in an unrealistic way."
"We increasingly strive to sell directly to retail chains in programmes through importers, since a significant margin is lost along the way," he adds.
Sweet Palermo: Almeria's booming pepper variety
"The Sweet Palermo pepper, developed by Rijk Zwaan, has adapted really well to Almeria. It is a sweet pepper, with organoleptic qualities that make it one of the most popular right now. At first there were limitations for producers, but high demand is making its production grow season after season. We ship mainly to Germany and increasingly to Poland, the UK and Scandinavia. For now, it is not as popular in southern Europe," affirms Indalecio.
This is the second year in which we'll showcase our Sweet Palermo and Sweet Bites peppers at Fruit Attraction, as many visitors showed interest in them in the previous edition.
You can visit Indasol at Fruit Attraction in Hall 9, Stand 9C02A, from 28 to 30 October, at IFEMA, Madrid.
Indalecio Acién Maleno
INDASOL
Paraje Los Aljibillos S/N