Canarian Weekly
01-02-2013, 12:40
THE wealth of strawberries that are grown in the mainland are referred to as ‘Spanish gold’, but this year the growing season has suffered a bad start due to inclement weather conditions.
Pedro Paniagua, manager of co-operative, Cobella explained “It started with some delay due to the weather conditions. Last year was drier, with more sunshine. Furthermore, this year’s planting was also delayed,”.
Storms and strong winds have recently hit Huelva, especially in the area of Lepe, “Around 30 hectares have been affected, with some severe damage on greenhouse structures and plastic covers,” he explained in the Spanish press.
The losses are huge, however, the short and medium term consequences “are something that depends on the market as a whole, on the law of supply and demand,” points out Paniagua.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that Huelva’s strawberries also compete with countries such as Morocco and Egypt, especially after the latest agreements signed with the EU. “Competition is stronger in the beginning of the campaign, as our production and theirs overlap.”
Cobella – The Andalusian Cooperative Society Ntra. Sra. de la Bella, is located in the town of Lepe, in the Spanish province of Huelva; it was founded in 1967 as a result of the need of a group of growers to collaborate with the processing and commercialisation of their products, which at the time were, among others, melons, watermelons, tomatoes, almonds and cereals.
“Currently 255 associates are part of the firm. Above all, we produce strawberries (10,000 tonnes). Of other berries, we produce around 800 tonnes of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. We also produce citrus, around 15,000 tonnes, and another 2,000 tonnes in plums and nectarines. We are part of Onubafruit, along with another 5 cooperatives in Huelva (Cartayfres, Coop Huelva, Freslucena, Bonafru and SAT Condado), and we commercialise 100% of our production under the brand Onubafruit,” explained Pedro Paniagua.
Among the wide range of strawberry varieties produced and commercialised with the Onuba fruit brand are the Ventana, Splendor, Primoris, San Andreas, Fortuna, Benicia, Sabrina and Camarosa, shipped to export markets such as the UK, Germany and Switzerland mainly, as well as Italy, France or Spain to a lesser extent.
Spainis the largest exporter of strawberries worldwide, with an industry worth more than 400m euros (£345m) a year, some 50,000 individuals are employed within the industry.
Driving through the fruit-farming area close to the town ofLucena del PuertoinHuelva, the land is lush and green.
Domes made out of white plastic sheets spread as far as the eye can see. Beneath them are strawberries. This region accounts for almost 90% of production inSpain.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/spanish-gold/)
Pedro Paniagua, manager of co-operative, Cobella explained “It started with some delay due to the weather conditions. Last year was drier, with more sunshine. Furthermore, this year’s planting was also delayed,”.
Storms and strong winds have recently hit Huelva, especially in the area of Lepe, “Around 30 hectares have been affected, with some severe damage on greenhouse structures and plastic covers,” he explained in the Spanish press.
The losses are huge, however, the short and medium term consequences “are something that depends on the market as a whole, on the law of supply and demand,” points out Paniagua.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that Huelva’s strawberries also compete with countries such as Morocco and Egypt, especially after the latest agreements signed with the EU. “Competition is stronger in the beginning of the campaign, as our production and theirs overlap.”
Cobella – The Andalusian Cooperative Society Ntra. Sra. de la Bella, is located in the town of Lepe, in the Spanish province of Huelva; it was founded in 1967 as a result of the need of a group of growers to collaborate with the processing and commercialisation of their products, which at the time were, among others, melons, watermelons, tomatoes, almonds and cereals.
“Currently 255 associates are part of the firm. Above all, we produce strawberries (10,000 tonnes). Of other berries, we produce around 800 tonnes of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. We also produce citrus, around 15,000 tonnes, and another 2,000 tonnes in plums and nectarines. We are part of Onubafruit, along with another 5 cooperatives in Huelva (Cartayfres, Coop Huelva, Freslucena, Bonafru and SAT Condado), and we commercialise 100% of our production under the brand Onubafruit,” explained Pedro Paniagua.
Among the wide range of strawberry varieties produced and commercialised with the Onuba fruit brand are the Ventana, Splendor, Primoris, San Andreas, Fortuna, Benicia, Sabrina and Camarosa, shipped to export markets such as the UK, Germany and Switzerland mainly, as well as Italy, France or Spain to a lesser extent.
Spainis the largest exporter of strawberries worldwide, with an industry worth more than 400m euros (£345m) a year, some 50,000 individuals are employed within the industry.
Driving through the fruit-farming area close to the town ofLucena del PuertoinHuelva, the land is lush and green.
Domes made out of white plastic sheets spread as far as the eye can see. Beneath them are strawberries. This region accounts for almost 90% of production inSpain.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/spanish-gold/)