Expected decline of 50% for the production of Rocha pears in Portugal

On a Portuguese radio during a recent interview, Domingos dos Santos, the president of ANP (Associação Nacional dos Produtores de Pera Rocha) clarified "We had already predicted a drop of about 30% compared to the previous season, but the drop will be more pronounced and we estimate it will be around 50% compared to the previous year due to the weather conditions”.

 

This decline in production is explained, according to Domingos dos Santos, by the high temperatures recorded in July and the drought which reduced the availability of water in the soil and in the existing water reserves for irrigation. This year, the pears are smaller and weigh less but have a very high sugar content.

 

In the 2021/22 campaign, production amounted to 220,000 tons of Rocha pears, of which 60-70% was exported. The top 5 destination markets were: Brazil, United Kingdom, Morocco, France and Germany.

 

In Portugal, before there was no shortage of water, but now we have to worry about this problem and think about the future, by increasing the number of dams and water retention systems intended to meet the water needs of the production of fruits, and planning investments in this direction.