7 Jul, 2010 @ 10:18
1 min read

Strawly not?!

ANDALUCIA’S wettest winter coupled with EU regulations have been blamed for this year’s poor strawberry harvest.

Some 220,500 tonnes were collected in Huelva compared to 2009’s haul of 224,000 tonnes.

Experts estimate that 10m kilos of strawberries – almost 30m euros worth – were destroyed during the torrential winter downpours.

The EU was blamed for reducing the rights of seasonal strawberry-pickers and also encouraging the use of pesticides.

“The heavy rainfall ruined entire plantations and workers spent their time collecting kilos and kilos of rotten strawberries,” explained Alberto Garrocha, association president for the producers and exporters of Huelva’s strawberries (Freshuelva).

The winter’s abnormal rainfall caused a wide disparity in the different areas’ harvests.

For example, the zones of Cartaya and Lepe as well as Bonares and Rociana recorded falls of around 40 grams per plant.

However, plants in Palos de la Frontera, Moguer and Lucena del Puerto have seen the fruits of their harvests rise by the same figure.

To compensate for the overall lower quantity, strawberry prices have risen by five per cent.

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Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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