The planting phase of red fruits in the province of Huelva shows a total planted area of ​​11.243 hectares for the 2023/2024 campaign, which represents a decrease of 4,75% compared to the 11.802 hectares of berries planted in the last year.

The Association of Producers and Exporters of Strawberries and Red Fruits of Huelva, Freshuelva, has reported that, according to the data provided by the associated companies, the area planted with strawberries amounts to 6.100 hectares, which represents a decrease of 3,1. 6.295% compared to the XNUMX hectares planted with strawberries last season.

The high temperatures at the beginning of the planting phase and Storm Bernard that affected the province in the middle of the work have caused such a delay that the replanting was completed almost at the end of November. The rains that followed, however, have contributed to proper development of the crop.

For its part, the area planted with blueberries remains more or less the same, with a slight increase of 0,5%, going from the 3.602 hectares of the last campaign to the 3.610 that there will be in the current one. The diversity of varieties allows production in December for the Christmas holidays and gains market share for South American productions.

This blueberry crop is consolidated as the second berry in our province behind strawberries, despite the fact that in this case it also faces great competition from third countries, more accentuated during the spring months.

The area dedicated to blackberries also experienced an increase, of 7,5% in this case, which translates into an increase from 143 to 153 hectares planted. In this case, new varieties are incorporated that allow production to last practically, with qualities that are increasingly appreciated by the consumer.

The most negative data, one more campaign, is presented by the raspberry, whose planted area decreases again for this campaign, this time by 21,5%, so 1.380 hectares will be in production, compared to the 1.762 that were in the past anus. This area is not in production at the same time, since the varietal diversity allows harvesting in two campaigns, one in autumn and the other in spring.

The raspberry is the red fruit that is being affected the most by Storm Bernard, causing serious damage to it and potentially affecting autumn production to a large extent.

The berry sector faces a new campaign plagued by uncertainties and adverse situations, above all, due to the persistent drought that is plaguing the entire country and the unstoppable increase in essential costs such as energy or inputs. Added to all this is unpredictable weather that, so far, has already negatively affected, especially the raspberry, in the planting phase.