Required Report - public distribution

**Date:** 10/15/2004

**GAIN Report Number:** SP4024

SP4024

**Spain**

**Strawberries**

**Annual Report**

**2004**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Stephen Hammond

American Embassy

**Prepared by:**

Pilar Muñoz

**Report Highlights:**

Spanish strawberry producers are opting for new varieties in an attempt
to remain competitive with producers in the European Union and Northern
Africa.

Includes PSD Changes: Yes

Includes Trade Matrix: Yes

Unscheduled Report

Madrid \[SP1\]

\[SP\]

Table of Contents

[**Executive Summary 3**](#executive-summary)

[FRESH STRAWBERRIES 4](#fresh-strawberries)

[Production 4](#production)

[FROZEN STRAWBERRIES 6](#frozen-strawberries)

[Production 6](#production-1)

# Executive Summary

The forecasts of Calendar Year (CY) area planted, area harvested, and
production are derived from previous-year's official Government of Spain
statistics, and show a relatively static situation. We gathered all of
the remaining data from local cooperatives in an attempt at replicating
reality here in Spain. However, imports and exports are, at best, an
approximation, because so much of the trade in strawberries is
inter-European Community (EC). As a result, this report must be read in
conjunction with the EC strawberry report, which will have accurate
intra-EC imports and exports of strawberries.

Spanish producers have relied on the Camarosa variety in recent years,
with almost 98 percent of total production (please see table below).
However, new Spanish varieties (Chifon, San Miguel and Candonga) are now
being chosen, because they have high production and good quality.
Ventana, from California, is also very appreciated, because it produces
fruit earlier in the production year. This helps the Spanish producers
to compete with Morocco production that arrives to the European Union
earlier.

Hydroponic producers are slowly increasing production. Although
production costs are higher than traditional production methods, the
strawberries produced are of very high quality and do not need to be
treated with methyl bromide and chloropicrin. This is important, because
this is the only alternative to these traditional treatments, at least
at the moment.

# FRESH STRAWBERRIES

  --------------- ----------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------
  **PSD Table**                                                                            

  **Country**     **Spain**                                                                

  **Commodity**   **Strawberries,                                    (HA)(MT)              
                  Fresh**                                                                  

                  2002              Revised    2003       Estimate   2004       Forecast   UOM

                  USDA Official     Post       USDA       Post       USDA       Post       
                  \[Old\]           Estimate   Official   Estimate   Official   Estimate   
                                    \[New\]    \[Old\]    \[New\]    \[Old\]    \[New\]    

  **Market Year                     01/2003               01/2004               01/2005    MM/YYYY
  Begin**                                                                                  

  Area Planted    8000              8100       8000       8000       0          8000       (HA)

  Area Harvested  8000              8100       8000       8000       0          8000       (HA)

  TOTAL           300000            265000     320000     298000     0          305000     (MT)
  Production                                                                               

  Imports, Fresh  8000              7300       5000       8000       0          8500       (MT)

  TOTAL SUPPLY    308000            272300     325000     306000     0          313500     (MT)

  Exports, Fresh  211000            174300     215000     182600     0          189000     (MT)

  Domestic Fresh  58000             60000      65000      70400      0          70000      (MT)
  Market                                                                                   

  For Processing  39000             38000      45000      53000      0          54500      (MT)

  TOTAL           308000            272300     325000     306000     0          313500     (MT)
  UTILIZATION                                                                              
  --------------- ----------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------

## Production 

+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| **MARKET | **1   | **2   | **2   | **2   | **2   | **2   | **2   |
| YEAR**   | 999** | 000** | 001** | 002** | 003** | 004** | 005** |
+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| **Area / | 9,700 | 1     | 9,100 | 7,800 | 8,100 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| HA**     |       | 0,700 |       |       |       |       |       |
+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| **Prod.  | 36    | 35    | 32    | 33    | 26    | 29    | 30    |
| / MT**   | 9,700 | 4,200 | 8,000 | 0,700 | 5,000 | 8,000 | 5,000 |
+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| **I      | 3,100 | 3,500 | 3,140 | 5,660 | 7,300 | 8,000 | 8,500 |
| mports** |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| **E      | 22    | 20    | 21    | 18    | 17    | 18    | 18    |
| xports** | 5,400 | 6,000 | 2,090 | 4,669 | 4,300 | 2,600 | 9,000 |
+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| **       | 7     | 8     | 6     | 9     | 6     | 7     | 7     |
| Domestic | 7,400 | 8,000 | 9,050 | 0,991 | 0,000 | 0,400 | 0,000 |
| Consu    |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| mption** |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| **For    | 7     | 6     | 5     | 6     | 3     | 5     | 5     |
| Proc     | 0,000 | 6,500 | 0,000 | 0,000 | 8,000 | 3,000 | 4,500 |
| essing** |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| **V      |       |       |       | 98%   | 98%   | 65%   |       |
| ariety** |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
|          |       |       |       |       |       | 35%   |       |
| **Ca     |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| marosa** |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
|          |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| **Othe   |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
| rs(\*)** |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |
+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

(\*) - Ventana, Chifon, San Miguel and Candonga

# 

  -------------------- -------------------- ------------------- ----------
  **Export Trade                                                
  Matrix**                                                      

  **Country**          Spain                                    

  **Commodity**        Strawberries, Fresh                      

  Time Period          CY                   Units:              Metric
                                                                Tons

  Exports for:         2002                                     **2003**

  U.S.                 0                    U.S.                0

  Others                                    Others              

  Germany              65275                Germany             59926

  France               46862                France              53529

  United Kingdon       20161                Italy               15086

  Italy                14944                United Kingdom      14524

  Belgium              13534                Belgium             10926

  Portugal             7697                 Portugal            7113

  Austria              5402                 Netherlands         4063

  Netherlands          4686                 Austria             2989

  Czech Republic       2216                 Switzerland         1435

                                                                 

  Total for Others     180777                                   169591

  Others not Listed    3892                                     4709

  Grand Total          184669                                   174300
  -------------------- -------------------- ------------------- ----------

  ------------------- --------------------- ---------------- -------------
  **Import Trade                                             
  Matrix**                                                   

  **Country**         Spain                                  

  **Commodity**       Strawberries, Fresh                    

  Time Period         CY                    Units:           Metric Tones

  Imports for:        2002                                   **2003**

  U.S.                0                     U.S.             0

  Others                                    Others           

  France              4306                  France           4964

  Morocco             1297                  Morocco          861

                                            Portugal         791

                                            Belgium          392

                                                              

                                                              

  Total for Others    5603                                   7008

  Others not Listed   60                                     292

  Grand Total         5663                                   7300
  ------------------- --------------------- ---------------- -------------

# FROZEN STRAWBERRIES

  --------------- ----------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------
  **PSD Table**                                                                            

  **Country**     **Spain**                                                                

  **Commodity**   **Strawberries,                                    (MT)                  
                  Frozen**                                                                 

                  2002              Revised    2003       Estimate   2004       Forecast   UOM

                  USDA Official     Post       USDA       Post       USDA       Post       
                  \[Old\]           Estimate   Official   Estimate   Official   Estimate   
                                    \[New\]    \[Old\]    \[New\]    \[Old\]    \[New\]    

  **Market Year                     01/2003               01/2004               01/2005    MM/YYYY
  Begin**                                                                                  

  Deliv. To       39000             38000      45000      53000      0          54500      (MT)
  Processors                                                                               

  Beginning       1990              1990       90         0          590        0          (MT)
  Stocks                                                                                   

  Production      25000             30400      28500      42400      0          43600      (MT)

  Imports         14000             13100      15000      13500      0          14000      (MT)

  TOTAL SUPPLY    40990             45490      43590      55900      590        57600      (MT)

  Exports         22000             33100      23000      35000      0          36000      (MT)

  Domestic        18900             12390      20000      20900      0          21600      (MT)
  Consumption                                                                              

  Ending Stocks   90                0          590        0          0          0          (MT)

  TOTAL           40990             45490      43590      55900      0          57600      (MT)
  DISTRIBUTION                                                                             
  --------------- ----------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------

## Production

  --------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
  **MARKET YEAR** **1999**   **2000**   **2001**   **2002**   **2003**   **2004**   **2005**

  **Deliv. to     70,000     66,500     50,000     60,000     38,000     53,000     54,500
  Processors**                                                                      

  **Prod. / MT**  45,500     42,500     31,000     35,250     30,400     42,400     43,600

  **Imports**     6,018      7,800      7,346      11,163     13,100     13,500     14,000

  **Exports**     30,700     24,000     18,807     22,462     33,100     35,000     36,000

  **Domestic      20,818     22,800     23,000     22,000     12,390     20,900     21,600
  Consumption**                                                                     
  --------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------

  ---------------- --------------------------- -------------- ------------
  **Export Trade                                              
  Matrix**                                                    

  **Country**      Spain                                      

  **Commodity**    Strawberries, Frozen                       

  Time Period      CY                          Units:         Metric Tones

  Exports for:     2002                                       **2003**

  U.S.             0                           U.S.           0

  Others                                       Others         

  Netherlands      6840                        France         8733

  France           5169                        Netherlands    8296

  Germany          3947                        Germany        5692

  UK               1151                        Austria        1498

  Belgium          1071                        Belgium        1439

  Italy            892                         Italy          1268

  Austria          863                         Sweden         989

                                               China          795

                                               UK             793

                                                               

  Total for Others 19933                                      29503

  Others not       2529                                       3597
  Listed                                                      

  Grand Total      22462                                      33100
  ---------------- --------------------------- -------------- ------------

  ---------------- --------------------------- -------------- ------------
  **Import Trade                                              
  Matrix**                                                    

  **Country**      Spain                                      

  **Commodity**    Strawberries, Frozen                       

  Time Period      CY                          Units:         Metric Tones

  Imports for:     2002                                       **2003**

  U.S.             0                           U.S.           0

  Others                                       Others         

  Morocco          10517                       Morocco        12503

  France           284                         Belgium        208

  Belgium          230                                         

                                                               

                                                               

                                                               

  Total for Others 11031                                      12711

  Others not                                                  389
  Listed                                                      

  Grand Total      11031                                      13100
  ---------------- --------------------------- -------------- ------------