The medlar campaign has started in the Costa Tropical of Granada and in La Axarquía, Malaga, about three weeks in advance after a warm and dry winter. This year, the volume is expected to increase by around 20% compared to the previous year, with smaller sizes due to the heat and drought.
Although the peak in terms of production is expected in April, the campaign will continue until mid-May. It will also be in April when the fruit will reach a good degree of maturity and sweetness.
According to Alberto Casanova, of the commercial department of the Granada-based company Frutas Manzano, "prices reached high levels during the first days of the campaign, but they have been falling as the volume available have been increasing," he affirms.
Frutas Manzano expects to sell 1.5 million kilos during the campaign, 80% of which will be intended for export. Besides Spain, the largest consumers of medlar are in southern Europe, mainly Italy, Portugal and Greece.
"It is a delicate fruit that needs to be handled with care during the harvest and handling, as its appearance can be easily damaged. Medlars are packed in two different formats: 6 kilo corrugated cardboard boxes and branded wooden boxes for lusher presentations," he explains.
Unlike other stonefruits, Spanish medlar faces barely no competition, as the largest farms in Europe are located in Spain, especially in Andalusia and Valencia. "Outside of Spain, we face no competition from other sources in the markets where we ship our production, as those countries also have medlars, but in smaller plantations, as is the case in Italy."
The fruit's acreage on the east coast of Granada and western Malaga, where the most widely planted variety is the Golden Nugget, remains stable.
