Stone fruit production in Spain is expected to be lower than the average of the last 5 seasons

According to the Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers of Spain (UPA), this summer, fruit production volume will be the lowest in recent years.

Government's estimates placed the production at more than a million tons, which could be too optimistic, as they didn't consider the storms that affected the fruit trees during the months of April, May, and June.

UPA estimates production will be 20 percent lower than the average of the last 5 seasons (not taking into account the losses produced since April). Catalonia and Aragon were the most affected regions, with production drops from 20 % to 50 % in some areas.

According to UPA affiliates, despite the drop in production and a smooth output of the product, prices paid to farmers at origin have not increased and haven't reached the levels projected when there is product shortage.

UPA cannot explain this market behavior, except the drop in stone fruit production this summer.

The organization has asked the General Directorate of Agricultural Productions and Markets to organize an encounter of the Stone Fruit Table to examine possible solutions for this problem. 

The situation in other European stone fruit producing countries is not better than in Spain, with significant drops in production also caused by the spring frosts. For Europe in general, the production of stone fruit is reduced by 35 % compared to the average of the last campaigns and 20 % compared to 2020. 

In comparison with the average production volume of the last 5 years, in Italy and France it is estimated a drop of 43% and 51%, respectively.