The cherry shortage has driven prices up. The damage recorded in the Spanish regions of Aragon and Extremadura as a result of rainfall has led to a 50% increase in the fruit's value, which has reached three Euro at origin. The phenomenon has been beneficial for the province of Alicante, which has also had a very slow start, in this case because of drought. The harvest volumes are expected to start picking up in the coming weeks, making it possible to export to various countries in Europe.
2016 will not be a good year for the cherry sector. A number of adverse weather conditions have reduced the harvest in the province of Alicante by half, so it will hardly reach four million kilos. The prolonged drought, the lack of cold temperatures in the winter months and the rains that arrived when the fruit was already in the trees have all had a negative impact.
The start of the campaign has been particularly complicated, since all the drawbacks mentioned were combined with problems with the setting during the blooming period. The president of the Designation of Origin Cerezas Montaña de Alicante, Hilario Calabuig, explained that "the truth is that we had a very slow start, with production even below what we had estimated for the earliest varieties. In fact, in this first stage we have not even reached 25% of what would be a normal harvest."
However, there has been a factor that nobody had taken into consideration and which, at least in part, is making things a little better, which is that heavy rains over the last two weeks in first level producing areas, such as the Jerte Valley in Extremadura or the Region of Aragon, have caused a shortage of cherries in the markets, which has pushed prices up significantly. According to Calabuig, the price paid has increased by between 40% and 50% compared to last year, to the point that, at the moment, producers are paid an average of three Euro per kilo. In stores, that price is almost double. "It will not fully offset the slow start, but at least it will help us move forward," stated the head of the designation of origin.
In any case, prices will gradually fall as the campaign develops, as the harvest volume in the second stage is expected to grow gradually. "The volume will be large enough to allow us to export, which will prevent market saturation and keep prices at a higher level than those paid in the domestic market."
Regarding the fruit's destinations, Calabuig said that "the great majority will go to Europe, to countries like France, Germany and Poland, among others. The sales made to the American continent are too small to be given any regard."
