The Alcobaça Apple Producers’ Association estimates a 10% drop in production compared to the previous year due to drought and climate change, and the fruit harvest has just begun.
“A fortnight ago we thought we were going to have a year in line with last year, with a drop in production of around 15 to 20%, compared to our production potential,” said the association’s president, Jorge Soares, speaking to Lusa news agency.
However, at the beginning of the month there was “a fateful day when, in the western region, the temperature reached 43 or 44 degrees, a temperature so extreme, so extreme and so abnormal that it altered the physiological behavior of the fruit, caused growth to stop or slow down, accelerated the ripening process and also accelerated the harvesting process, which translates into a drop in production of around 10% compared to last year,” he said.
The high temperatures caused “serious burns to some of the fruit most exposed to the sun”, he explained.
Thus, of the potential production of 70,000 tons, 50,000 tons should be harvested this year, down from the 55,000 tons that allowed the sector to earn 50 million euros in the previous year.
Also according to Jorge Soares, the sector has seen a drop in production potential as a result of climate change.
“We had a much warmer spring than normal, in the flowering phase we had temperatures above 30 degrees in April, when the plants want to be in a mild temperature to turn the flower into fruit and they want to be in comfort between 17 and 23 degrees. Then we didn’t have a rainy spring,” he recalled.
Adding to climate change is the drought, with reservoirs unable to water crops and groundwater abstractions running dry, he added.
“Producers live off their creativity, their ability to store a small amount of water in hotter and drier years, hence this drop in production for the second year running, on top of a past campaign in which we had an increase in production factor costs of around 40% on average,” he said.
In addition, continued the president of the Alcobaça Apple Producers’ Association, there is no water policy for the West region and the focus should be on reusing water from the River Tagus for agricultural irrigation.
“With the reduction in the availability of water and the increase in temperatures, which means we need more water, there is extreme concern for producers, a loss of confidence, even in increasing areas,” Jorge Soares admitted.
Despite everything, “and if nothing unusual happens”, the association predicts a campaign that will be able to satisfy the needs of the domestic market and achieve a 10% increase in prices, taking into account the 40% increase in production costs and the quality of the fruit.
“Both fuel and labor costs have risen significantly and we still haven’t recovered. Last year we had a 40% increase in costs and we only managed to impact the price by around 10%,” he recalled, pointing out that some companies are already working at a loss.
The sector also intends to export 10 to 15% of its production, of which 70% will go to Brazil, 20% to England and the rest mainly to Spain, Arab and African countries.
The Alcobaça apple, whose main variety is the gala, has a Protected Geographical Indication, has a cultivation area of 2,000 hectares in the western region and involves half a thousand producers.
The Alcobaça Apple Producers’ Association represents 22 members.
