The very first info on the 2019-20 Almería campaign points to overall stability in vegetable surface areas, according to seed producers, with an ongoing transfer between species in view of the results from previous years. The balance of the 2018-19 Almería campaign is deemed acceptable by the professional organisation COEXPHAL, with overall turnover (T/O) for the Almería production zone up by 3 % on 2017-18. And while certain products suffered from poor conditions in the spring, leading to a 32 % fall in T/O for the watermelon (+ 10 % in terms of volume, and - 38 % in terms of price), others are doing not so badly, such as the tomato with a 10 % increase in T/O (- 2 % in terms of volume, and + 12 % in terms of value), but above all the courgette with a 25 % rise in T/O (+ 28 % in terms of volume, and - 2 % in terms of price). The cucumber campaign was uneven, but in the end it was down by just 1 % (+ 2 % in terms of volume, and - 1 % in terms of price). Results were rather satisfactory for the pepper and aubergine, with T/O increases of 7 % and 8 % respectively. Nonetheless, the association has reiterated that increasing production costs are curtailing producers’ results. Hence this year another expansion in surface areas is expected in this zone of 8 to 10 % for the pepper, as well as for the courgette and aubergine. Conversely, there could be another production fall for the tomato, of approximately 10 %, especially in the loose segment but also small sizes, given the labour-intensiveness of these products compared to other greenhouse forms. Producers are concerned at the drought, which could cause adverse consequences for the crops. Finally, we should highlight how early planting was this year, brought forward to early July or even late June for the first pepper crops, so as to generate revenue quicker. Furthermore, producers remain concerned at the prospect of Brexit. Hence Canarian producers, fearful of no longer receiving POSEI aid to export to this destination, which takes in 50 % of tonnages, have opted to take pre-emptive action by scaling back their production. The level could fall by 15 % in the course of this campaign for the tomato, while the number of cucumber producers could undergo a threefold decrease.
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