2023-05-27 09:10:38
The rain of the last days has given a truce to the Denomination of Origin producers (DO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) of the Girona counties. Although farmers are “concerned” about the situation, the rain in recent days has come at a “key” time for many crops such as the Beans of Santa Pau (Garrotxa), the Apple of Girona and the vineyards of Empordà. Now, the hope is for more rain in the coming days that will help “save the season” and maintain the level of production of other years. This could lead to the price not climbing excessively for consumers due to the lack of product, beyond the price increase that supposes the increase in costs due to inflation.
The producers of Poma de Girona, Fesols de Santa Pau and DO Empordà are “concerned” about the drought that Catalonia is experiencing, although the rain that has fallen in recent days has given them a glimmer of hope for production . The president of the Technical Commission of the Regulatory Council of DO EmpordàAntoni Roig, he assures that the water has arrived at “a key moment” because it is when the vines bloom. The arrival of water at this time allows the plant to grow and this gives wine producers “a breather”.
Roig believes that if more episodes of rain like the one that has occurred in recent days are repeated it will help to have a “production similar to usual” of grapes. In fact, the president of the technical commission has recalled that in recent years they have already experienced abundant rains combined with episodes of drought, although it had not been a “so dramatic” scenario for some time. Even so, Roig remembers that “there is still a lot of summer left” and it is difficult to predict whether or not there will be the same level of grapes as in other vintages.
As for the producers of Poma de Girona, they arrive with their homework done and do not anticipate that there will be an alteration in this year’s fruit harvest. The president of the IGP, Jaume Armengol, recalled that in 2008 there was another episode of drought that led producers to start an adaptation process.
That’s why eight years ago they started implementing the Giroreg project, in which a drip irrigation system is installed and makes it possible to optimize the water used to irrigate the fields by 30%. In addition, growers have also changed chemical fertilizers to organic and this allows them to keep the sun more moist. On the other hand, the farmers have also done “a strong thinning” of the apple trees and this allows “the trees not to be so stressed” due to the lack of water. With all these actions, Armengol predicts that it will be possible to close a season “with enough fruit to serve the whole year”. While it is true that the rain of the last few days has served to improve the situation, if it does not rain again in the coming months the producers will have to “spin very thin” with water but they will be able to close a season with a similar level of fruit to that of last year.
Bean producers in Santa Pau are optimistic and “hopeful” following the recent rains that have allowed them to falsely sow weeds. The president of the DOP Fesol de Santa Pau, Lluís Sunyer, explains that in a week they will sow and acknowledges that the fields are “very good” to do so. Sunyer hopes that the rains will remain intermittent, in order to be able to plant, since everything is never done at once.
“They were very much expected by everyone and we will do very well because of the early sowings. The truth is that it has been fabulous for us, now we hope that it will not stop and that it will go better than last year”, he remarked. It is worth saying that 2022 was a “bad year” for the harvest, due to the drought. Sunyer explained that they could barely make it to the Bean Fair that takes place in January and they had already run out. “We couldn’t serve everyone who asked us,” he lamented.
The price
Keeping production similar to last year, the producers of Poma de Girona anticipate that prices will not grow exponentially due to lack of fruit. Despite everything, Armengol remembers that part of the fruit is exported to other countries and this makes it more difficult to predict the price the piece will have. “Everything is very global and there will always be a lack of fruit on one side or the other and there will be speculators who will play with this”, remarked the president of the IGP Poma de Girona.
Regarding wine, Antoni Roig does not believe that the volume of grape production has an impact on the price of wine. In fact, the president of the Technical Commission of the Regulatory Council of DO Empordà has pointed out that the latest price changes have been motivated by the increase in products such as bottles, labels or cardboard boxes. “In the short term, the production modifications are not significant because of the price,” explained Roig.
Regarding beans, Sunyer explained that they did not change the price in 2022, despite the fact that there was a small amount of beans. The president of the DOP Fesol de Santa Pau explains that they do it because they don’t really have competition, since there is nowhere else. “It’s not worth it to us,” he points out.
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