It’s now a reality: Moroccan products are the most sought-after in the European market, a success that not everyone applauds. The EU favors Moroccan strawberries over Spanish ones, whose production has dropped by 9%.
The Association of Strawberry Producers and Exporters of Huelva, Freshuelva, announced this Thursday that the 2023-2024 campaign ended with a total production of 221,412 tons of strawberries, marking a 9% decrease compared to the previous season. This significant decrease is attributed to a reduction in cultivated areas, mainly due to increased competition with Morocco.
Disturbed by this success, Freshuelva regularly denounces this situation to the European Union (EU) and advocates for the imposition of tariffs on products from these countries, as well as adherence to mirror clauses.
According to Freshuelva, these figures illustrate a « very complex » campaign for strawberries, with an initial phase marked by irrigation restrictions due to persistent drought, which impacted plant development. This context led to an overall 9% reduction in production and a slight increase in prices compared to the previous season. The March rains helped to end the campaign, but the May heat limited export opportunities due to the condition of the fruits.
As for other berries, raspberry production reached 40,288 tons, a decrease of 15% compared to the previous season. This situation led to a loss of profitability and a reduction in supply, although marketing worked well during the harvest period.
Conversely, the blueberry campaign recorded a 10% increase in production, totaling 58,509 tons. This increase is due to young plantations coming into production and the extension of the campaign period thanks to early varieties, allowing blueberry harvests from the beginning of the year until July.
As for blackberry production, it remained stable at around 2,135 tons, with a slight increase of 0.5%. This stability is favored by the presence of varieties that allow for almost continuous production, from January to December.
