The cherry campaign in one of Spain's major growing regions, the Jerte Valley of the Extremadura region, has been delayed by several weeks due to cool temperatures during the growing season.

However, weather conditions over the coming days are set to spur on the ripening of the fruit, in what is expected to be a considerable crop, Agro Informacion [in Spanish] reported.

The publication reported that despite the harvest delays, forecasts for the campaign are "very optimistic".

Around 21,000 metric tons (MT) of cherries are expected to be shipped from the second half of May through August.

Of the total volume, between 5,000-6,000MT are expected to be made up of Picota cherries - a category of late-season varieties that are only grown in the region. Picota cherries detach from their stems when picked and have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

For this season, the Valley del Jerte Group of Cooperatives has upgraded its sorting and processing equipment, which will increase its daily capacity from 90MT to 500MT.

www.freshfruitportal.com