Few can make a productive analysis of the prunes season as crisp and clear as Juan Pablo Sotomayor, Prunes technical manager at Frutexsa, who is once again a regular number as speaker of the 11th. EXPO Ciruelas Secas, which will take place in a few more weeks.
The agronomist points out that he will make an analysis of “one of the most special seasons that I have had to live through, for various reasons, starting with a very low winter in cold hours – probably the lowest in recent years -, a long flowering and uneven that transformed into a tall fruit set with flowering at different times.”
Likewise, he points out that there was a very late start to the harvest of 10 and up to 15 days, as well as fruit conditions that “will force us to dry throughout March and even early April.”
The fruit had a hard time taking sugar, like all the stones. The strong harvest started the week of February 19 to 25, when it is normal to start on the 10th to 12th of that month. There is an important load, a production similar to last year, but it is a difficult season due to the condition of the fruit.
The professional initially projected 106,000 dry tons (T) for the current season as a total for the country. Of them he estimated around 24,000 T that were going to be sent to China, leaving a little more than 80,000 T for dehydration. However, the lack of sugar and the delay complicated fresh export, so perhaps 20,000 T will not be reached.
Even if the undispatched fruit is destined for dry, the conversion from fresh to dry is probably not very good. In theory it is 3 kg fresh to obtain 1 kg dry; This year we will probably have conversions of 3.5 to 1 or maybe a little worse. It will be a harvest around 20°Brix, not much higher than that.
What would have caused this situation is fundamentally a cold spring. And then high summer temperatures at which trees close stomata, decreasing photosynthesis.
Within his presentation on March 20 at the EXPO Ciruelas Secas, the expert anticipates that he will include an interesting presentation of historical prices, starting from 1999 to 2023, showing price fluctuations in relation to supply and demand and, as always, a analysis of the international reality of the main plum producing countries, as well as some projections for the season that is beginning.
There are only a couple of weeks left until a new version of the EXPO Ciruelas Secas is held again, which this year holds its 11th version on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
The hundreds of attendees who will attend the event, including producers, processors and exporters, as well as suppliers and guests of the Argentine plum sector, will also be able to listen to other technical voices in the country regarding dried plums, among others, Pablo Campino, member of the Technical Committee of Chileprunes.
Don’t be left out: registration is open at www.EXPOCIRUELAS.CL.
En la oportunidad estarán los más importantes proveedores, fruticultores de ciruelo europeo -el principal insumo en los huertos-, traders, empresas de seguros y financiamiento; procesadores, hasta exportadores de fresco y seco, pasando por proveedores de la industria, energía, envases, agroquímicos, servicios logísticos, proveedores de hornos, líneas de producción, despepitadores, equipos mecanizados de cosecha, servicios de tecnología, consultores, viveros, entre otros.
