Fruit Today talked to Alex Creixell, the Manager of Girona Fruits Costa Brava, who told us about this year’s greatest concerns on the market, which, amongst others, are the price of energy or a reduced production due to the weather conditions.
What are the most prominent facts of the campaign that is just starting now?
It has been a year when the heat has affected size, and this has meant a percentage of the fruit cannot be used. Therefore, as they are smaller, the most immediate consequence is that there will be fewer kilos. The total calculation has yet to be made, but we are certain that all over Europe there will be a lower volume than anticipated in August. This has already happened with Gala apples, one of the varieties that have suffered most from the heat wave.
There are also fewer Golden plantations, while Pink Lady is remaining quite stable, although with a smaller harvest. However, as new plantations are coming into production, in the end we will have almost the same volume.
Are there any new varieties this season?
Our cooperative has made an important commitment to the Candine variety by ASF Edition. We started planting it last year and we now have a production of around 30,000 kilos. On the other hand, the Food and Agricultural Research and Technology Institute (IRTA) is working on varieties adapted to climate change, highly focused on very hot summers, such as the ones we are already experiencing and will continue to have.
What are the greatest concerns for apple producers?
Basically, the increase in energy and material costs, that is to say, packaging, cardboard, wood… All of this without forgetting that at times we are experiencing supply problems. But above all, the greatest concern lies in how to pass on these costs, because the producers work with very tight profit margins.
It seems that the supermarkets have put the prices up. How is this rise being passed on to the marketing sector?
The supermarkets have accepted a slight price rise, but this does not compensate the costs we have incurred. Our business has a very important electricity demand due to the cold storage rooms.
Is photovoltaic energy a real solution?
No. It is an important investment, which more or less gives 20% of self-consumption, but it is a small percentage. From this point of the year onwards, the yield of the panels drops a great deal. In the summer, they generate more energy, but in general, this is the time of year when the cold rooms are empty. I don’t consider photovoltaic energy a solution, but rather a backup.
What new developments are there to protect the plantations? And in the central plant itself?
85% of our plantations are under mesh and almost nobody in our region thinks about planting without installing a covering structure for hail, which also shields us against the wind. At the central plant, in 2023, we expect to have a completely automated line, a machine with several robotic arms that puts the apples in boxes, replacing workers.
