Alicante's mountain cherryharvest is once again facing a difficult season. After a warm winter and irregular flowering, production forecasts are no more than half of a normal harvest.
In this interview with Valencia Fruit, Hilario Calabuig also adds other challenges facing growers: consecutive unprofitable seasons, progressive abandonment of the crop and lack of generational turnover, serious effects of climate change and 'the final blow', changes in the agricultural sector that are jeopardising the future profitability of the Montaña de Alicante cherry.
Last year's season was presented with good forecasts, but the results were not as expected: how did it turn out?
In last year's forecast I was too optimistic. It was a negative season. The flowering was good, but in some areas there were already problems with fruit set, and then the rain ended up spoiling everything with cracks and fruit breakage. In short, the cherries were unmarketable.
What can you tell us about the current season?
This year the forecast is already poor. As a background, we have a very pronounced drought and, in addition, the winter we had, which was very mild with unusual temperatures, meant that flowering was very irregular. The cherry is a crop that needs cold weather and winter rest.
For this reason, in the earliest areas, i.e. in crops between 250 and 700 metres above sea level, we will certainly have a low production. In inland areas, above 700 metres and where it is colder, we could have an acceptable harvest. Although it is still too early to venture a concrete forecast on kilos, we estimate that we will not exceed 50 per cent of a normal harvest, around 2000 tonnes.
After several bad years, how is the cherry growing area in the mountains of Alicante evolving?
There is a progressive abandonment of the crop. In some areas more than in others, but in general growers are no longer choosing cherry cultivation. We do not have specific data, but we have made an estimate in the cooperatives of the Comptat and Marina Alta regions and, in the last three years, between 20 and 25 per cent of growers have abandoned this crop.
In recent years, a number of factors have added up to cause this situation: consecutive seasons with low yields and low profitability, the impact of climate change and, now, the handicap of agricultural insurance, with the cherry being one of the fruits with the most climatic accidents due to its delicate nature.
Have the new developments in agricultural insurance adversely affected you?
Farm insurance has increased the premiums, increased the deductibles that are not collected from the farmer, and moved from assessing variety by variety to doing it for the whole farm, which means that if there is damage to a specific variety, of the 5 that a farmer may have, because it does not cover the deductible of the policy, it is not collected, and therefore it is like throwing money away.
With this, all the changes in agricultural insurance are threatening the profitability of farms. Unfortunately, the cherry is a crop that is prone to many weather accidents, and if we do not have good farm insurance, farms end up with nothing.
Furthermore, we have found policies where, in the case of a total loss of the cherry farm, the compensation for this loss is less than the cost of the policy; in other words, if you can get EUR 1,000 of compensation, the policy costs EUR 1,100, more than the value of the compensation. Nobody takes out a policy that costs more than the indemnity they intend to collect.
What other factors are affecting this season in particular and the cherry harvest in general?
On the one hand, labour. This has been a problem for years, because nobody wants to work in the fields and we have to resort to immigrants, who are not always easy to hire. However, in recent seasons, as production has been low, we have not suffered much from this difficulty.
The increase in costs affects us. The prices of fertilisers, inputs, insurance, etc. increase, leading to low profitability of the crop and, consequently, to abandonment and a lack of generational turnover.
Short collection... good prices?
We have this forecast, but I always say the same thing: when there are a few kilos, no matter how high the price is, the numbers usually don't work. If I multiply 1,000 kilos by 3 euros, that's 3,000 euros; if I multiply 100 by 6, that's 600 euros. The numbers don't add up even if the price doubles. So it is not good for the farmer because there are not enough kilos to multiply and it is not good for the consumer either because the price is too high.
What is the destination of the Alicante mountain cherry? Where is it most appreciated?
Alicante mountain cherries are mainly destined for the Levante region of Spain, especially for small harvests. It is a local fruit, highly appreciated by consumers, which arrives the day after the harvest and, therefore, the loss of quality of the fruit is minimal.
It is true that it is always good to explore new destinations, but with a low production, why take the risk of exporting?
Does the PGI carry out promotional campaigns to make Alicante mountain cherries known?
For a couple of years we have been cutting cherries, doing radio spots and posting on social networks to let people know that the Alicante mountain cherry season has already started. However, when the harvest is poor, we do a more subdued promotion so as not to upset the consumer.
How do you see the future of cherry cultivation in the mountains of Alicante?
It is not very clear. We are feeling the effects of climate change a lot because it is a crop that needs very specific climatic conditions, there is a lack of professional farmers, there is no generational change... and we are missing the last drop of agricultural insurance. Anything that is not profitable does not have a good future, and this is what is happening with the mountain cherry of Alicante.
What are your demands in this regard?
We are asking the authorities and Agroseguro to commit to agricultural insurance, because without insurance cultivation is very complicated, and to help the farmers of the Mountain of Alicante, who have difficult working conditions and profitability, to keep their fields cultivated. Because it is they, the producers, who fight the fires, preserve the landscape and the environment, ensure the survival of the villages in this area and keep the Mountain alive.
Source: Valencia Fruit
Image: Información
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