The Region of Murcia’s seedless grape harvest started almost two weeks later than usual. Expectations are that it will be a good season as consumption continues to grow, and the sector forecasts good volumes and quality this season.

“We started to harvest the first grapes of the season this week. This is 10 to 12 days later than usual, because of high temperatures in June, which were 3-4 degrees above average, slowed down the coloration and ripening of the earliest varieties,” said David Franco, Grupo Paloma’s Sales Director.

According to the sales manager of this production and marketing company, since the Spanish supply does not reach significant volumes until around July 20, this delay won’t disrupt the markets.

“We expect very good yields and quality thanks to the abundant rainfall in March, which gave extra vigour to the vines, and the stable temperatures in April and May,” Franco stated.

In July and early August, the Spanish table grape season overlaps with the product from Egypt, where production has increased significantly in recent years, and from other countries such as Italy and Greece, which increasingly have more seedless grapes.

“In previous years, the overlap with these origins caused uncertainty. We thought we would need to find new markets due to the increase in supply. However, we’ve noticed that Europe alone, including the United Kingdom, continues to absorb these volumes thanks to a continuous growth in consumption,” he said..

According to Franco, this is due to a varietal improvement in supply, resulting in high-quality standard lines that consumers positively appreciate.

“There are no longer great differences between origins in terms of varieties, nor are there large price fluctuations. Table grapes are an increasingly stable product in terms of volume and quality, which is why consumption is increasing. Before, there were more differences between winter and summer consumption. Now, there is more balance. There’s no doubt that it’s due to the improvement of the product throughout the year,” he stressed.

The company plans to continue growing in the next 3 years, both in volume and schedule, and continues to invest in increasing capacity at its facilities. “We believe that growth should be prudent, not only because of weather issues or the scarcity of water resources in some producing areas. In recent years, Spanish production has taken a qualitative leap. However, I think there’s still room for improvement. The trials with new varieties show we can improve color, flavor, sizes, and productivity, which suggests that there is a lot of future for seedless grapes,” David Franco said.

For more information:
David Franco
Grupo Paloma
T: +34 968590001
Email: [email protected]
www.gpaloma.com