A long, waking nightmare. That describes the situation in the Alicante province cherry sector, which has chained one disastrous campaign after another, leaving farmers in a state of despair. This year’s bloom has begun, but unevenly and with less abundance than expected due to drought, threatening to ruin the harvest for the sixth straight season. The impact is direct on the crop, as a string of bad results is pushing many growers to abandon fields. It is estimated that one in every five hectares of cherry trees has already been left out of production.
Every year arrives with a different cause, yet the harsh truth remains: the cherry sector cannot get back on its feet. Sometimes heat, sometimes a lack of pollination, and more recently excessive, ill-timed rains have left a pattern that threatens to repeat this year. The drought has slowed bloom progression, and the prospect looks bleak. Hilario Calabuig, president of the Denomination of Origin Cherries Mountains of Alicante, notes that the trees are stressed by water shortages, which shows in a weaker and more uneven bloom. He laments, “We don’t know what will happen, but at the moment things do not look good.”
To avert a worse outcome, Calabuig argues that substantial rainfall in coming weeks is essential. Without it, he warns, even if cherries end up thriving, they will have very small calibers, a serious obstacle for market entry.
Calabuig points out that the issue spans the entire production area, from the regions of l’Alcoià, El Comtat, and la Marina Alta to the Vinalopó area. Only plantations with irrigation systems show a slight edge, though even they are not immune. “Irrigation water is not the same as rainwater; it doesn’t penetrate the same way into the soil’s deeper layers,” he emphasizes.
The overall outlook remains discouraging, especially within a sector where future prospects are highly uncertain. Long-standing disappointments have prompted a gradual abandonment of fields, now totaling around 20 percent of the provincial land. In practical terms, that equates to nearly 200 hectares no longer producing, a critical issue given that cherry trees require consistent care.
And the challenges do not end there. Each failed harvest represents about 25 million euros in losses and results in around 4,000 jobs that do not materialize during the picking season. “If the current situation persists,” Calabuig notes, “the crop could become a retirement project, as new generations will not be willing to sustain it at a loss.”
In similar terms, Alberto Lloréns, a technician with Planes’ agricultural cooperative, says that the trees are very weak due to drought, and that will not bode well for the harvest. He laments the delicate situation the sector faces after so many continuous disappointments. “Climate change is real, and we are seeing it year after year with incidents that used to be rare. It’s only natural for people to feel discouraged after so many setbacks,” he emphasizes.
El encarecimiento de los seguros puede ser la puntilla definitiva
The president of the Denomination of Origin Cherries Mountains of Alicante warns that rising insurance costs may become the final blow for the sector. He explains that producers either avoid securing coverage because of the frequent incidents or accept policies that are financially unmanageable, pushing many into a corner. Producers also await promised aid from the regional government for cherries, which could reach about 750 euros per hectare.