Strawberry growers in Huelva prepare next season's crops
Strawberry growers in Huelva are preparing the land for next season. The painstaking task consists in raising beds for cultivation and covering them with plastic sheets. The Spanish Association of Producers and Exporters estimates that around 300 000 tonnes of fruit will be produced this season, as in the past year. Therefore, work with the Government Sub-Delegation is under way in order to extend the workforce by hiring in countries of origin.
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Many areas of the province of Huelva are preparing the ground for the next season. It all starts with irrigating the ground with sprinklers before levelling it with a cultivator; making easels with the machine installed on the tractor, and covering them with plastic sheets. The end result is a sea of black plastic. After this, the installation of metal structures of the greenhouses takes place. The logistics around cultivating cost each farmer EUR 10 000 per hectare.
Three years ago, strawberry growers committed to diversifying production in order to avoid monoculture; so much so that strawberries went from 10,000 hectares to only half. Recent years have seen an explosion in demand for these berries due to their antioxidant properties.
These properties have meant that this year has broken the record of 770 million euros in exports. Last year, Huelva produced more than 300 000 tonnes of red berries, representing 97% of domestic production.
