"The Spanish strawberry season started with small volumes in January. In December, there was much demand for these strawberries. The market, therefore, quickly absorbed these first volumes. And at good prices," says Polina Valkanova of the Belgian company, Special Fruit.
"There was, however, rain in Huelva at the end of week 5. This seriously affected the strawberries' availability. The expected volumes have also been delayed by a couple of weeks. These factors have resulted in a clear strawberry shortage on the market. This also coincides with the time when most supermarkets have planned their Valentines' promotions."
This dip in Spanish production has resulted in a high demand for strawberries. That is regardless of their country of origin. "Egypt and Morocco currently have quite limited production. This means these countries are supplementing each other, rather than being each other's competition. This situation will, of course, change rapidly when the Spanish volumes increase. We expect these volumes to start rising this week," says Polina.
"The bad weather in Huelva did not only affect volumes. It also impacted the strawberries' quality. Fortunately, our Calinda strawberries have far fewer quality issues than other varieties. More and more clients are being won over by the Calinda's flavor. This is causing an increase in demand. Special Fruit works with a breeding partner, Fresh Forward. Together, we are constantly in search of new strawberry varieties. It is, however, difficult to beat the Calinda," concludes Polina.
For more information:
Polina Valkanova
Special Fruit
36 Europa Street
2321 Meer, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 333 01 792
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.specialfruit.be
