In terms of quality and production volumes, the fresh artichoke campaign of the Tudela White variety develops normally in Benicarlo, Spain, although the market is rather quiet as far as prices go."This year we started the campaign in mid-November with some delay compared to previous campaigns," explains Sebastián Torres, Head of the Vegetables section of Benicarlo's Agricultural Cooperative 'San Isidro'. Nevertheless, "because of the good weather conditions, without sudden temperature changes or frosts, we have been able to harvest in a stable and regular manner, without any halts in production."
Regarding prices, they have generally been lower than last season. "So far we have obtained mid-to-low prices, with drops of 0.20 to 0.30 Euro per kilo compared to last year's campaign," he explains.
Artichokes with the Benicarlo Protected Designation of Origin stand out for their flat-shaped, compact flower with a distinctive hole at the top, which compete both in the national and international markets with the White artichoke produced in Murcia.
"Murcia's influence has plenty of weight in the price war, as they also offer a quality product. There are times when our artichokes are better, but also others when Murcian artichokes can be superior. In any case, our PDO backs our product up as something differentiated and exclusive."
Benicarlo's Agricultural Cooperative 'San Isidro' distributes its artichokes mainly in Spain, although they are also exported to France, always under the BENIHORT brand.
The fresh artichoke campaign will finish in late April and will be followed by the campaign of artichokes for the canning industry.
