Almeria's pepper production has already halved due to how advanced the season is this year because of the warm winter. Now that temperatures are lower, production is also slower and volumes are scarcer in the auctions, which has caused prices to skyrocket, despite the fact that February was already going well compared to previous months of the campaign.
In the case of red bell peppers, the price has now reached 2.45 Euro per kilo at auction, when only a week ago prices stood at 1.59 Euro per kilo. Long red Lamuyo peppers remain at an average of 1.90 Euro per kilo.
Less spectacular are the prices of green and yellow peppers. Green bell peppers now stand at about 1.25 Euro and the Lamuyo costs an average of 1.42 Euro per kilo. Yellow bell peppers stand at around 1.20 Euro per kilo.
Murcia kicks off with the first green peppers with high demand
While Almeria's season is almost over, Murcia has been harvesting the first green peppers, both Lamuyo and bell peppers, although volumes are still small.
"Similarly to how Almería has finished earlier, the start of our season has also been advanced," explains José María Madrid, seller at the Murcian auction Mercagrisa. "This year, we have started the campaign earlier than usual, arriving to an excellent market for peppers, with high prices and very good sales."
"It seems that there is a growing market for our peppers, with a greater number of transactions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, mainly as a result of the developments that are taking place in transportation," he explains.
After Easter, coloured peppers from Murcia, both red and yellow, are expected to become available. Murcia's pepper acreage has remained stable compared to last season, with bell peppers gaining some ground on the Lamuyo.
