Juan José Gandía, president of the Association of Producers and Traders of the Valley, points out that the fruit “has not grown as it should” due to the high temperatures. The Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) does not yet have exact figures, as they are waiting for a fruit grower to pick the last cherries, but Gandía indicates that “it is possible that this month’s harvest has been reduced by up to 50%,” and clarifies that “there are cherries, and plenty of them, but they are smaller.”
The season has lasted “two and a half months,” and there will be product on the market until next week, although producers have experienced three consecutive years of “excessive heat.” Gandía outlines the scenario: “I think the August varieties will eventually disappear because summers are getting hotter and hotter, so we’ll have to plant more of the July varieties or consider other crops.”
Temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius for several consecutive days accelerated the harvest, which concluded last weekend instead of around August 15th as usual. To speed things up, fruit growers increased their workforce with more than twenty seasonal workers, allowing them to “finish as soon as possible.”
The production of other fruits in the area is also affected by the heat: plums have ripened more than a week early and are smaller than in previous years, as are pears, which “are smaller than usual,” according to Gandía.
Source: Fresh Plaza
