Over the last few weeks, as the rains have stopped and temperatures have risen, the strawberry volumes marketed in Huelva have sharply increased. In fact, in week 13, the volume harvested was already comparable to that of the same week of the previous season, thanks to the favorable weather situation.
© Marta del Moral Arroyo
"March has been quite a difficult month because of the poor quality of the strawberries," says a sector operator who wishes to remain anonymous. "There has been very high humidity, which has caused Botrytis in quite a few shipments, as well as a lot of complaints and losses at destination."
On March 26, RAIF warned that in Huelva, around 30% of the plots were moderately or severely affected, with damage observed in almost 100% of the plots. "However, although Botrytis has affected all varieties across the board, some have still performed much better than others," says the operator. "In my opinion, the Arwen or Fandango have been the ones that have shown the least percentage of rot, while a specific variety from an important program in the province has been hit the worst."
© Marta del Moral Arroyo
As far as prices are concerned, the increase in the volume available has led to a notable drop in prices both at the source and destination. According to official data, in week 13 - the last week with available data - prices at source fell by more than 20%, although the price remains well above the average for that date; specifically, 81.2% above the price at source of strawberries at the end of March 2024.
Looking back through the reports of the Prices and Markets Observatory of the Andalusian Regional Government, it's also clear that despite the impact and the slowdown in supply caused by the rains in March, the season has not been significantly delayed; on the contrary, while 54% of the production had been marketed by week 13 of 2024, this year, by the same date, this figure was close to 55%.
"Nevertheless, three storms in the province of Huelva have caused damage in recent weeks. The first two have affected 400 hectares of strawberries, with insurer Agroseguro estimating damage to infrastructures at €1.6 million. The impact of the third storm is still being assessed, but it probably hit another 200 to 300 hectares. These weather conditions have so far destroyed between 20 and 30% of the production."
© Marta del Moral Arroyo
"In any case, we have to acknowledge that March has been a very difficult month. Many people have been ordering fruit from Italy, Germany or the UK, while we've had difficulties in supplying our own clients. Nonetheless, thanks to the good prices, growers have already covered their costs and are earning money."