This week, the new leek campaign has started in the Spanish province of Cadiz, the earliest area in Europe and the main producer during the spring months. The start of the campaign has been slower than usual due to a lagging demand, given the large stocks of old leeks still available in the markets.
"Normally we start the campaign on April 20, but this year sales have been delayed due to the low demand," says Jesús Lucas Rodríguez, from the commercial department of the Virgen del Rocío cooperative, which is part of the Unica Fresh group and is specialized in the production of carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and leeks. "This is the first time that we have seen such a low demand at the beginning of the season. Normally, many customers have already made requests a few weeks or even a month before the start of the season."
According to the sales manager of this cooperative, there are still large stocks of old and cheaper leeks in the markets. "There are still a lot of old leeks left in the Spanish market coming from northern France and selling at about 0.45 Euro per kilo. Wholesale markets such as Madrid are willing to pay for our new, fresh leek, but in the rest of Spain it is not as easy. This is also a reflection of the economic situation we are in."
"We have started selling the new leek at about €0.83 per kilo, but for growers to make a profit the price should be set at least at €0.90, taking also into account the rise in production costs. It is essential for the grower to make a profit in order to continue producing. We don't want a repeat of what has happened with sweet potatoes, whose acreage has been reduced considerably in just one year due to the lack of profitability. In fact, while we marketed 20 million kilos last year, this year we will only sell around 7 million kilos," says Jesús Lucas Rodríguez.
The new leek campaign will last until mid-June, when other producing areas in Spain and the rest of Europe will start. "From June 15 onwards, the harvest usually starts in Segovia, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc. That is when our marketing window ends. At the moment, we are only selling in the domestic market, but from May 5 to 10 we expect to start with the first exports. From then on, we are confident that the demand will increase and prices will rise," says Jesús Lucas.
For more information:
Jesús Lucas Rodríguez
Unica Fresh
M +34 687 045 760
jrodriguez@unicafresh.es
unicafresh.es