strawberry sector, 95% of which concentrates in Huelva, is suffering a 20% drop in prices this campaign as a result of stronger competition from European countries that benefited from the mild winter temperatures.The manager of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Strawberries from Huelva (Freshuelva), Rafael Domínguez, pointed out that the campaign up to 31 March "has not gone all that well."
Despite production volumes being similar to last year's around the same date, "the circumstances in March for Spanish strawberries were dreadful, as for the first time in many years there was an overlap in the French market between French, Moroccan and Spanish strawberries."
This is expected to take place in other European markets, with the production from countries like Germany, Italy, the Netherlands or Belgium also overlapping. This is mainly the result of the mild winter temperatures, which have advanced the harvest by around two weeks.
As a consequence, Spanish producers are facing trade issues, as it is not possible to market Spain's production in the same conditions as in previous years.
Dominguez also stressed the fact that other European countries are increasing their acreage for strawberry production, as in Germany's case, which has expanded by around 25%.
"We have been paying more attention to the growth of countries like Morocco or Turkey and meanwhile producers from the Netherlands, Belgium or Germany have caught us by surprise," he stated. "Our circumstances are now more complicated and they will need to be analysed for the coming years."
