Spain: less quantity, more quality

As the month of August is reaching its end, there are still lingering doubts as to whether or not the 2018 processing tomato harvest – an essential crop in Extremadura – will reach its stated objectives. Very disappointing weather conditions in the spring, followed by hail and delayed planting schedules have continued to cause concern regarding harvest forecasts. 
Just a few days off the beginning of the harvest, which started between 7 and 10 August, producers were expecting tomatoes of very good quality, but likely in lower volumes than planned in production contracts. According to professional sources, the most reliable estimation indicated a drop of 10% compared to the volumes planned by the industry at the beginning of the year. 
The only big remaining factor of uncertainty is the weather, once again. This year, a major proportion of the harvest will be put off until September. Harvest operations will continue unabated until the end of that month, which growers continue to fear because of the unreliable weather conditions.  

"We are worried as we wait to see what the weather is going to be like in September. It's a dangerous month for the crop." Domingo Fernández, President of Tomates Del Guadiana

This crop, which will be the latest for over a decade, will produce 10% less tomatoes, but will provide greater quality
"Some growers remember starting past harvests as early as 2 or 3 August": this is an unprecedented situation for younger growers and a rare one even for experienced growers, explained the President of Tomates del Guadiana, which is part of the Acopaex cooperative group.
According to him, members of Tomates del Guadiana will only deliver 350 000 tonnes out of approximately 400 000 tonnes contracted this year, due to lower yields recorded in the fields, which cover about 400 hectares. But the yields of the more productive zones are unlikely to be affected, and this fact has been observed throughout the industrial processing sector of Extremadura. In any case, "the drop in production compared to last year is not particularly worrying," concluded Domingo Fernández.

In March, the food cooperatives of Extremadura announced that this year's contract volumes in the region had recorded a slight drop, of approximately 4.05% compared to last year's volumes, and were expected to reach about 1 994 113 tonnes. According to the same sources, the surfaces planted with tomatoes for processing in 2018 in the region covered a total of 22 568 hectares, which is 4.29% less than in 2017 (23 579 ha).
As for the industrial sector, Extremaduran processors signed contracts for 2 030 222 tonnes of tomatoes this year, which is 3.28% less than in 2017 (2 098 993 tonnes). Spanish processing forecasts amount to a total of 2.6 million tonnes: the Conesa group, with more than 471 000 tonnes under contract, ranks first among Spanish processors.
Commitments of the four companies that make up the cooperative sector (Carnes y Vegetales, Pronat, Tomalia and Tomates del Guadiana) account for a total of 773 966 tonnes, a clear decrease (-8%) compared to the 841 632 tonnes processed during the previous harvest season.

Despite disruptions experienced at the beginning of the year, growers estimate that the season's results will be less disastrous than feared. They are expecting a drop of approximately 10% in terms of volume. These decreases in production and the ten days delay at the start of the season are due to spring weather that was cooler than usual, exceptionally wet and stormy, which also affected growers in Andalusia and in Portugal.
However, some of them feel the weather conditions that prevailed during the development of the crops also meant that they were able to recover from some of the damage suffered previously: "The coolest years are the ones that produce the best crops; the slow ripening and mild weather increase the quality of tomatoes." After the unfavorable weather conditions of springtime, maximum temperatures in June and July barely exceeded the 37°C mark, while minimum temperatures were pleasant, if not cool, and generally below 20°C. "After the disastrous spring we had, a heatwave during blossoming and ripening would have finished off the crop," explained Domingo Fernández. "This was not the case, and the heatwave of early August will have only slightly affected the fruit, which were already ripe." These "mild" conditions reduced the risk of insect infestations and diseases, and therefore also reduced the costs linked to crop protection inputs. 
This has been a relief for the industry, which now only has to worry about September's weather conditions…

Source: hoy.es/agro