According to the president of ASAJA Elche, Pedro Valero, despite the atypical high temperatures and lack of rain, Elche expects to produce 19,500,000 kilos of winter vegetables,i.e. only 6% less than the 21,500,000 kg achieved in the previous campaign.

Artichoke, the star crop of the region, has been severely affected by inclement weather. ASAJA Elche forecasts that the production of the traditional Blanca de Tudela variety won't surpass 9,000,000 kilos. The cultivated area has been reduced to 550 hectares because producers were not sure they would have enough water resources last summer, a moment that coincided with the planting season, Valero stated.

Despite the decline, the president of ASAJA Elche highlighted that this year there is a significant process of conversion to the hybrid variety.

Green potatoes yielded smaller calibers than expected and producers expect to harvest 1,000,000 kg. The earliest bean varieties did not yield the desired results, as many plots barely produced a harvest due to the absence of cold, and expectations are only about 500,000 kilos will be harvested, i.e. 50% less than in the previous year.

Cruciferae are the exception. They're the vegetables that have the best performance despite the weather because producers opted for new varieties that better withstand climate change. This family of vegetables includes cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco, cabbage, radish, and arugula. They are being grown on 550 hectares (50 more than in the previous season) that are expected will yield more than 8,000,000 kilograms.

In total, Elche devotes 1,300 hectares for the cultivation of winter vegetables, the same area as in the previous season. The association highlighted the farmers' effort to maintain the activity despite the unprecedented loss of productivity and profitability caused by the uncertainty in the availability of water for irrigation, the persistent drought, very warm temperatures during winter, the radical increase in production costs, especially in fertilizers and phytosanitary products, and the competition from imports from third countries that have to comply with easier rules than ours.

2023/2024 vegetable campaign forecast:
Artichokes: 9,000,000 kg
Broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, cabbage, radish, and arugula: 8,000,000 kg
Potatoes: 1,000,000 kg
Beans: 500,000 kg

2022/2023 vegetable campaign forecast:
Artichokes: 10,000,000 kg
Broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, cabbage, radish, and arugula: 7,000,000 kg
Potatoes: 1,500,000 kg
Beans: 1,000,000 kg

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com