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ARCHIVED - Table grape harvest in Murcia expected to be 20 per cent higher this year
Co-operative COATO is already harvesting the white seedless Sugraone variety and will shortly move onto the first red grapes
Although it feels as though the summer has barely begun due to the uncharacteristically stormy weather of the last few weeks, the first hints that autumn is on the way can already be purchased in the region’s street markets with the first table grapes of the new season now on sale.
Shoppers at the weekend were offered the first of this year’s harvest; white table grapes of the Sugraone variety grown in the Guadalentín valley here in Murcia and selling for anywhere between two and 3.50 euros depending on the vendor (which go down perfectly accompanied by locally grown sweet melons, which are also plentiful and cheap in the markets at the moment).
Agricultural co-operative Coata is looking forward to the harvest from its vineyards in the Gaudalentín valley and Mazarrón this year with”great expectation” according to Antonio Costa, vice-president of Coato.
The first varieties to be harvested are always seedless grapes, which farmers start to harvest at the end of July, the white Sugraone the first to mature, followed around a week later with red grapes (Itum 9 and Crimson).
The first black grape (Autumn Royal) will start to mature mid-August and other strains will gradually feed in to the mix, the harvest continuing throughout November, with the last grapes left on the vines for the New Year celebrations, although the majority of the harvest concludes by the end of November.
The Murcia region is Spain’s largest producer of seedless table grapes and exports a significant volume of produce throughout Europe, including to the UK.
Last year the harvest was affected by quality problems caused by fungal growth during the flowering period due to heavy rains and this year Coato expects around 20% more production than in the last year. "To achieve this, our technicians have made a huge effort to bring all the plots farmed by their members under control and take appropriate measures to alleviate any problems that may arise, all under the new organization of the technical department itself with a new manager at the helm," said Costa.
So if you see luscious green grapes on offer this week or the first bunches of the blushing crimson seedless grapes which are a mainstay of regional markets throughout the early part of the autumn on sale, give them a try and support local farmers.