The Gardeners Association of Alto Aragon expects a good harvest of pink tomatoes of Barbastro, which according to the most optimistic forecasts would amount to around 1,200,000 kilos; a much higher volume than last season, which was marked by the high temperatures and a hailstorm in August which reduced the production.
Some pink tomatoes of Barbastro grown in greenhouse farms are already becoming available, but the biggest influx of this precious vegetable is expected for the first days of next month, as there have been some delays. "The plants' development has been slower because it hasn't been hot, but vegetatively speaking, they are fine. The fact that the season is delayed is good, because then you can extend the campaign until mid-October," explains the president of the Gardeners Association of Alto Aragón, José Antonio Armengol.
The volume expected will be similar to that reached in recent years. The production has stayed around one million kilos, mostly harvested in orchards of Somontano.
Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza or northern Spain are already established markets for this vegetable. The price can range from 1 Euro per kilo for the producer to more than 5 Euro in the market. "Everything depends on supply and demand. In the market, there are lots of tomatoes, but people are already familiar with the pink tomatoes of Barbastro and their properties and are willing to pay a little more, because of their high quality," points out Armengol. The pink tomato of Barbastro has earned a privileged niche in gourmet shops in the capital of Spain, and prominent chefs have included it in their menus.
