In July and August, the Spanish province of Almeria has had low vegetable production. In the next few weeks, there will be a gradual increase in availability, although tomatoes will take a little longer.
The economic results of the 2024/25 horticultural campaign have been good, since most greenhouse vegetables have recorded above-average prices. The volumes marketed, except for peppers, have exceeded the figures of the previous season.
The good pepper prices have compensated for the lower volume marketed, as the production was reduced by around 20% due to the Thrips parvispinus pest, which has made pest control a challenge for the sector.
In the 2024/25 campaign, a significant volume of peppers was damaged and had to go to the processing industry, which led to shortages during part of the season and difficulties in meeting the demand in the fresh market. The impact on peppers in the previous season was so significant that the most affected growers considered not planting the crop again, and a significant percentage of producers decided to postpone planting to avoid the pest.
"It is getting hotter and hotter in the summer months; in fact, record temperatures have been reached in June in Almeria, although the autumn months are also increasingly hotter. Such high temperatures facilitate the multiplication of pests, and taking into account the serious damage last season, growers are choosing to plant their peppers later," says Antonio Ruiz, Sales Director of the Murgiverde cooperative.
"Many plantations where the harvest used to start between September and December are now doing so from January onwards. This is opening an interesting window for Dutch exporters, who have usually always clashed with the start of Almeria's production," says Antonio Ruiz.
"Also, slightly less has been planted this year, so we are expecting a lower pepper production in the fall. And the fact is that, despite the increasing number of tools to combat this pest, growers don't yet have a convincing solution to eradicate it," says the Sales Director of this cooperative. "In the 2025/26 campaign, the acreage devoted to cucumber, tomato, and eggplant is expected to increase slightly, to the detriment of peppers," he says.
For more information:
Antonio Ruiz
Murgiverde
Tel.: +34 950489090
[email protected]
www.murgiverde.com