Freshuelva warns of a 50% collapse in soft fruit exports and calls for urgent aid following the recent storms.
The series of storms that have battered the province of Huelva in recent weeks has caused a historic halt in the soft fruit season. Freshuelva, the Association of Strawberry Producers and Exporters of Huelva, estimates that exports have fallen by around 50% compared to the same period last year, reflecting the scale of the economic impact on the sector.
Persistent rainfall, combined with episodes of strong winds and other adverse weather events, has caused considerable damage to plantations, greenhouses, and handling facilities, disrupting the harvesting schedule and throwing the campaign’s planning off course at a critical moment.
This drop in production is having an immediate effect on employment, with a notable reduction in working days both in the fields and in warehouses and processing centres. The decreased activity also affects auxiliary companies and the entire agri-food chain, generating an impact that goes beyond the sector itself and affects the wider provincial economy.
In response to this situation, Freshuelva has requested that the central Government and the Junta de Andalucía declare Huelva a disaster zone and urgently activate aid to help mitigate losses and ensure the continuity of an activity that is strategic for the province.
The association emphasises the need for a rapid and coordinated response from the authorities to prevent the impact of these exceptional weather events from prolonging and compromising the sector’s competitiveness in international markets.
Freshuelva continues to gather data to accurately assess the damage and will provide the authorities with all necessary information to implement support measures, allowing production to return to normal as soon as possible.
