Portugal: Pinhão harvest should increase 25% and offer higher quality fruits in 2022

Harvesting at the right time for the fruit to ripen guarantees higher quality seeds (Photo: Aires Mariga) At the beginning of the harvest, the price paid to the producer is around R$4.50 per kilo. According to César Oliveira de Arruda, rural extensionist at Epagri in Panel, demand is greater than harvest capacity, a factor that may raise prices in the coming weeks, but which tends to stabilize between the end of April and the first half of May, when the offer will be higher. Panel, which is the largest producer in the state, estimates harvesting between 1,000 and 1,500 tons, much more than the 800 tons harvested in 2021. “The municipality produces more than that, but it cannot harvest everything because there is a lack of manpower. The activity is family-friendly and the collection is the responsibility of the young people, as it is necessary to climb the trees to remove the pinecone”, says César. At the same time, he explains that the fact that pine nut producers are the owners ...