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Artichokes: prices halved in Valencia region
Spain
Monday 12 May 2008
Valencian farmers assess the current artichoke campaign as “one of the worst in recent years”. The product price at the field has halved compared to last year in the producing areas of the Community of Valencia, according to declarations made by the agricultural organization La Unió-COAG. The main reason seems to be - the organization highlights - the competitiveness of produce imported from third Countries.
The campaign started in November with satisfactory prices, but as months passed by quotations decreased progressively finally making of this year a very terrible one for farmers.
Artichoke growers currently get at fields incomes around 0.50 and 0.60 euros per kilo, compared to 1 euro per kilo during last year season. La Unió-COAG stresses that such prices only allow farmers to cover production costs, and that they don’t really match the quality of the products they’re supplying.
Also for the Valencian artichoke processing industry, to which is destined half of the region´s supply of this product, the current campaing is very negative due to the presence on the Spanish market of cheaper artichokes coming from Peru, Ecuador and China. Despite the quality of this produce is not as much as high, these foreign artichoke supply are affecting not only the Spanish market but also the most important export markets. In the United States for instance, which receives around 60% of the Valencian processed artichoke, the current campaing has been affected by the dollar´s weakness and the increase of imports from the Southern Hemisphere, chiefly Peru.
The campaign started in November with satisfactory prices, but as months passed by quotations decreased progressively finally making of this year a very terrible one for farmers.
Artichoke growers currently get at fields incomes around 0.50 and 0.60 euros per kilo, compared to 1 euro per kilo during last year season. La Unió-COAG stresses that such prices only allow farmers to cover production costs, and that they don’t really match the quality of the products they’re supplying.
Also for the Valencian artichoke processing industry, to which is destined half of the region´s supply of this product, the current campaing is very negative due to the presence on the Spanish market of cheaper artichokes coming from Peru, Ecuador and China. Despite the quality of this produce is not as much as high, these foreign artichoke supply are affecting not only the Spanish market but also the most important export markets. In the United States for instance, which receives around 60% of the Valencian processed artichoke, the current campaing has been affected by the dollar´s weakness and the increase of imports from the Southern Hemisphere, chiefly Peru.
