The sector of the red fruits grows strongly in Spain and around the world

The sector of the red fruits grows strongly in Spain and around the world

01/02/2018

The area planted with red fruits for the 2018 campaign in Huelva, a province that includes more than 95% of production and marketing in Spain, has grown by 11,12% in relation to the previous year, totaling 11.145 hectares, according to data from the Association of Producers and Exporters of Strawberry of Huelva, Freshuelva, association integrated in FEPEX. This growth, which is also noticeable in the Cantabrian cornice, is also occurring in other important producing countries such as Argentina, Chile or Peru in the American continent or Morocco and South Africa in Africa.

The blueberry is one of the red fruits that is growing the most. In Huelva, the area has changed from 1.150 hectares in the 2013 / 2014 campaign to 2.858 hectares in 2017 / 2018. In the Cantabrian cornice the surface reaches the 400 hectares and the autonomic governments want to promote the extension of these crops. Specifically, the governments of Asturias and Cantabria have published orders to promote blueberry plantations with subsidies to producers, with production oriented to the period from June to October.

In the international arena, as explained in the III Red Fruits Congress, organized by FRESHUELVA in June of 2017 and that this year will have its continuation in the IV Congress scheduled for the 20 and 21 in June, the boom of red fruits , and especially cranberry, is being experienced in many countries. In Chile last 103.000 tons were exported and in Peru, in four years they expect to export 120.000 tons. In Argentina, the national blueberry market is increasing with an area of between 1.900 2.100 hectares. The majority of production is exported, with the United States being the main market with 65% of the total, also highlighting the UK destination. On the African continent, South Africa and Morocco are also registering increases in cultivated area. And in Europe, Portugal, which until now has focused most of its raspberry red fruit exploitations, is increasing cranberry cultivation.

In Spain, the sector grouped in Freshuelva bets on European markets such as the United Kingdom, to maintain its growth, and the Scandinavian countries are particularly interesting where they want to strengthen sales by consumer interest that relates the red fruits with their healthy properties . Efforts are also being made to diversify exports, according to Rafael Domínguez, manager of Freshuelva, and China is one of the destinations considered of interest, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Economy has already been asked to start negotiations to negotiate a protocol allow export to this country, similar to the one that Chile has already signed with China for cranberry. The sector also seeks greater presence in Arab countries where arrears have already begun to be exported.

Source: Fresh Plaza