Farmers in Huelva, Spain, have begun preparing fields for a new red fruit season, laying the groundwork for strawberries, the province's leading crop, alongside raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.
Crews are carrying out the traditional mulching process, ridging the soil and laying black plastic sheeting, the technical starting point for the strawberry campaign in what is described as Europe's largest producing region for the crop.
Manuel Piedra, secretary general of the farming union UPA-Huelva, told La Razón the work would continue throughout August, with crews starting as early as possible each day to avoid the summer heat. He said irrigation systems would begin going in from September, with strawberry plants arriving once October begins. Piedra said the sector was approaching the process normally, with reservoirs holding sufficient water for the production cycle.
A season disrupted by storms
The new planting follows a difficult 2025/2026 season, badly affected by weather. A continuous run of storms in the year's early months slowed the development of crops and cut supply during January and February, the period of highest market value, when up to 50% of expected production was lost.
Foreign trade figures through May show the scale of the impact. Strawberry production, the province's flagship crop, came to 204,035 tonnes, down 3% on the previous year, pushing export value down 3.3% to 675.7 million euros.
Blueberry production followed a similar pattern, falling 6% to 59,500 tonnes, with export value down 4% to 336.2 million euros. Raspberry output rose slightly, up 5% to 39,545 tonnes, though its exports still slipped 3% to 222.7 million euros.
Blackberry was the exception. Helped by new varieties suited to different production cycles, output jumped 33% to 2,517 tonnes, lifting international sales 12% to 20.6 million euros.
Compensation for storm damage
Agricultural organisations and the regional administration are still processing state compensation for damage caused by last winter's storms. Two payment lists have so far been published in Huelva province, covering between 30% and 40% of affected farmers.
Piedra said the sector was waiting on the Ministry of Agriculture, which has indicated the remaining 60% to 70% of claims will appear on a third list due from September. The goal, he said, is to ensure every producer hit by the early-year storms receives compensation to help cover the costs of new planting.
Piedra estimated the coming campaign would see figures similar to previous years, with a planted area above 12,000 hectares, more than half of it strawberries. He said the raspberry area would stay largely unchanged, while the blueberry sector expects a gradual rise in overall harvest volume as plants aged four and five years reach fuller yield.
Recruiting workers for the harvest
Alongside the fieldwork, local agricultural offices and the Government Subdelegation are handling labour requests to cover harvest needs. Through Spain's Collective Management of Contracts at Origin scheme, Huelva leads the country in this model, having accounted for more than 84% of all such contingents managed nationally last year.
The previous campaign brought a record of more than 21,200 workers to the province, a 20% rise on the year before. Organisations are now finalising paperwork for returning workers and opening applications with Andalusia's regional employment service to recruit domestic labour as well.
Morocco will again be the leading country of origin for the international workforce, alongside workers from Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Senegal and Mauritania, with Paraguay formally joining the scheme for the first time. The programme is notable for its logistical scale and its workforce profile: the large majority of workers are women with experience from previous seasons.
A group of 49 workers from Guatemala is travelling to Huelva to take part in the red fruit harvest, according to La Razón.
