Andalusia's Observatory of Prices and Markets has recently published its analysis of the province's greenhouse crops in the 2021/22 campaign. According to this report, the cucumber was the third most important greenhouse crop of the campaign, only behind pepper and tomatoes.
In September and October, the cucumber campaign started with lower prices than in the 2020/21 season. "The start of Almeria's campaign coincided with the final stage of production in the Netherlands, which lasted longer thanks to favorable temperatures in Europe. During this period, the large European retailers purchased Dutch products to the detriment of Andalusian products," the Observatory stated.
"From November until the end of Almeria's campaign, cucumber had the highest prices in the two previous campaigns. The early arrival of winter temperatures regulated Almeria's production and ended the cucumber campaign in the Netherlands, leading to a sharp rise in prices at the origin.
In March, the fog, frequent rainfall, and cloudy days -among other weather issues- slowed down the cucumber harvest in Andalusia. In addition, producers in the Netherlands and in the rest of Central Europe slightly delayed the transplant date in their spring-summer cucumber crops to reduce the energy bill, prolonging the mismatch between supply and demand, which kept prices high until the end of the campaign," the analysis of the Observatory stated.
The average price of the product was €0.79/kg, i.e., 38% higher than in the 2020/21 campaign. Cucumber production was marketed for 463.7 million euros, 56% higher than in the previous year, ranking this product as Almeria's greenhouse sector's third most important product last year.
The value of the Almeria cucumber variety, which accounted for 82% of the volume produced, increased by 39% over the previous year, while the price of the short variety increased by 36%, and the price of the French variety by 32%.
Meanwhile, cucumber exports increased by 5% in volume and by 34% in value. Germany bought 11% more cucumbers from Almeria and the United Kingdom 2% more. These markets were the main destinations for Almeria's cucumbers, with a 45% and 16% export share, respectively. The Netherlands and France imported 4% and 3% less, respectively.
You can read the full analysis here.