12–15% increase in summer fruit production costs due to Iran

During a press conference held today, Manel Simon, CEO of Afrucat (the Association of Fruit Companies of Catalonia), presented an initial assessment of the situation. Although the Middle East is not a key export market for Catalan fruit, rising costs for energy and fertilizers are already affecting agricultural inputs. Liquid urea has recorded the highest increase, rising by approximately 60%, followed by reefer containers at +35%, fertilizers at +20%, plastic packaging at +15%, and carton packaging at +6%. Labor costs have also increased and are currently estimated at +3.11% globally. “We estimate an average increase in production costs of between 12% and 15% for the upcoming summer fruit harvest,” said Manel Simon.

Interprunus 2026 Announced for May 21 in Lleida

Manel Simon also announced the 2026 edition of Interprunus, a one-day conference that will take place on May 21 in Lleida. Organized by Afrucat in collaboration with the Occitanie region and the Medfel exhibition, the 25th International Stone Fruit Forum will focus on: EU production forecasts for 2026; Solutions for in-store monitoring of summer fruit retail sales; International markets, including Mercosur; Crop protection tools.

For more information on summer fruit prospectives, you can write here.