There has no been no rain to speak of in the whole of Granada, let alone its coast, in the last four months and the out-of-season, high temperatures are playing havoc with the chirimoya production. Of course, no sooner than this article is published, we’ll see an ark come floating past the office, but in the meantime…

The hostelry trade is abundantly happy, with the weather, at least, but rarely do the meteorological predilections of farmers and hotel owners coincide, admittedly. This last week has seen some of the best beach weather in the whole summer, with crystal clear water and sunshine that warms rather than burns. The sea temperature is ‘cheeky’ but far from unpleasant.

Absent insect invasions during the summer; i.e., mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches, have finally decided to make an appearance, albeit a brief one, because when the colder weather does appear, they’ll be rushing to pack their bags.

As for the blessed chirimoyas, which are smugly going into overdrive because of the prolonged high temperatures, the farmers are running around in circles trying to get them all in.

September, for instance, normally sees about 10% of the total crop reach maturity, whereas this September saw 30% – sounds like good news, but it’s not: this type of fruit is one of the most whimsical of the Holy Trinity: Chirimoya, Avocados and Nispolas. Once the finicky chirimoya is ripe, it’s ripe and doesn’t hang around too long, therefore a sudden super abundance is not commercially ‘positive,’ as it drives prices down.

Almuñécar, or more precisely, Rio Verde valley, has an advantage – depending on which way you look at it – as they come into production after Salobreña, Itrabo and Motril, in the Guadalfeo valley. Rio Jate in La Herradura also produce before Rio Verde. The fruit has a short shelf life, meaning that Rio Verde won’t have much competition, but on the other hand, the first fruit on the market always get the highest prices.

The Avocados and Nispolas, on the other hand, are sprouting more leaves and nothing else, as if in a petulant huff – the fruit isn’t increasing in size; it’s all going into the leaves.

In the meantime, the hotels are beginning to fill up with Spanish pensioners, which keeps them ticking over – the hotels, that is – and the beaches are enjoyed by the hangers on and local residents.

(News: Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)