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Spanish table grape

Published on 20/10/2020 - Published by Aschehoug Anne-Solveig
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Spanish table grape going all-in on seedless and exports

Of the 330 000 tonnes of table grapes produced in Spain, more than 150 000 tonnes come from Murcia, the country’s number one production region. The Valencian Community is not to be outdone, although its surface areas and volumes have been declining over the past several years. Andalusia is the number three production region with 1 600 ha, though its surface areas are also slightly down.

Informations

Product(s) : Grape
Rubrique / Thématique : Economic analyses
Country : Spain
Keywords : Export , Production , Variety

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Murcia upping the hype on the export markets

The Murcia region has 6 500 hectares of vineyards, i.e. 46 % of national surface areas dedicated to the table grape. Its predominance on the table grape market is fairly recent. In 2010, the Valencian Community was the number one Spanish production region. Its decline has accompanied the expansion of surface areas in the Murcia region, which now accounts for 68 % of national exports, with a production increase of more than 75 % since 2010. This surge in surface areas and volumes is due to the progress made by the seedless grape, with high-yield club varieties and an earlier harvest. Three large businesses dominate this market, representing 85 % of Murcian table grape volumes.

Of the 150 000 tonnes produced every year, nearly 130 000 tonnes are exported to three flagship markets: the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands. This year, the region’s growers have their eyes fixed on Asia, India and Africa, and some volumes were sent to the US East Coast very recently. Last year, a trade agreement was signed with China, but the Covid-19 pandemic has slowed shipments: and at the moment, the transport time is up to 60 days, as opposed to the usual 30 days.

Harvest down slightly in Alicante province

Alicante province (Valencian Community) suffered a major spell of hail in early June, especially near Aspe, Monforte del Cid and Novelda, bringing down expected volumes by 15 %. The hardest hit varieties were Red Globe, Ideal and Victoria, though Aledo, the latest variety, did not register any losses.

In this province, table grape production was protected by a PDO (DOP “Uva de Mesa Embolsada del Vinalopó”), which extends over the districts of Agost, Aspe, Hondón de los Frailes, Hondón de las Nieves, Monforte del Cid, Novelda and Romana, near the River Vinalopó. This grape has the particularity of growing under paper packaging, which protects it from the sun and storms for 60 days. DOP Vinalopó covers seven varieties. The first are traded from late August, with Victoria and then Ideal (September-October), Doña Maria and Red Globe (September-October-November), Rosetti (October-November), and then Dominga (mid-October to late December). The latest, the Aledo variety (mid-October to mid-January), the New Year grape, represents 50 % of volumes harvested under the DOP.

The 2020 DOP Vinalopó campaign officially began on 27 August. The volumes expected are 40 000 tonnes over 1 500 ha, down by 10 to 20 % on the 2019 harvest. Approximately 60 % of volumes are aimed at the domestic market, with the rest sold in Europe, South Africa and Canada.