According to the latest insights from the IFAPA Prices and Markets Observatory, the Spanish strawberry campaign is currently underperforming, with production levels only reaching 9% of the expected 20% at this stage. The primary cause of this shortfall is attributed to water scarcity, exacerbated by a 50% reduction in agricultural water usage and insufficient rainfall. This situation has led to a 14% drop in strawberry production in the second week of February compared to the week prior.

Despite the decreased production, strawberry prices have not seen an improvement, continuing their downward trend. In the specified week, prices fell by 8% from the previous week, positioning below the average price recorded in recent campaigns for this period. Specifically, strawberries are now sold at €2.04/kilo, a decline from €2.22/kilo the week before and significantly lower than the above €3/kilo price in the past campaign. This trend is not only observed domestically but also impacts Huelva's strawberry export prices, which have decreased by up to 12% in Germany, a key market, while prices in France remain unchanged.

In contrast, blueberry prices have also experienced a decline, dropping by 4.8% from the previous week, marking a challenging start to their campaign. However, raspberries display a semblance of stability in both production and pricing, maintaining levels comparable to previous years, albeit with a slight 0.4% decrease in price in the second week of February.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com