Pear production in Catalonia down 33% year-on-year

Pear production in Catalonia (Spain) for the coming season will stand at 80,426 tonnes, 33% less due to adverse weather conditions, according to data from the Catalan Fruit Business Association, Afrucat and the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

 

All pear varieties, except Blanquilla, have shown a drop in production, although Blanquilla has increased by 20% compared to the previous season.

 

This decrease is attributed to the persistent drought in the spring of 2023 and the high temperatures of last summer and this winter, affecting the flowering and fruit set of the pear trees.

The Conference variety, leader in the region, suffers the biggest loss with a 45% drop, with an estimated harvest of 33,693 tonnes compared to 61,108 tonnes last year.

 

Joan Serentill, President of Afrucat, mentioned the need to win back the domestic market, stressing that the Spanish market particularly values large, sweet pears.

 

In Europe, Italy and Spain have lost production capacity to Belgium and the Netherlands, which have doubled their production since 2000 to 400,000 tonnes each.

 

Portugal, with the Rocha pear, has overtaken France and is positioned as the fifth European producer with a potential of approximately 200,000 tonnes.