The early onion harvest is currently in full swing in the region of Antequera. This is a campaign that, according to the manager of the cooperative Horticultores El Torcal, Juan Antonio Romero, will be the worst of the last 10 years in this area of the interior of the province of Malaga.
The producers will market about 4 million kilos; a similar figure to that recorded in recent years; however, the market price is expected to be well below the average recorded in previous seasons.
Romero explains that the harvest will not allow growers in the region of Antequera to cover their production costs, so that the campaign, which will end on 20 June, will certainly generate losses. In this sense, the head of the entity argues that producers usually plan their crops for four or five years, so that the good results of one year can compensate for the bad ones of another.
The prospects are better for the late onion season, whose harvest will kick off at the end of August and will last until approximately 15 October.
The total production of both campaigns will amount to approximately 11 million kilos, with close to 250 hectares cultivated. Of the total onion volume harvested, about 30 percent is sorted and packed in the facilities of the aforementioned Antequera cooperative; the rest of the harvest is sold directly at origin to customers who pack the product in a similar manner as Horticultores El Torcal.
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com
