Murcia’s pepper production continues to grow at 5% annually

Murcia’s pepper production has grown steadily over several decades, with production expanding from 20,000 tons in the 1970s to over 176,000 tons today. Much of this growth is thanks to the improved access to water that the region has ensured in this time. Head of the exchange warehouse sector of Murcia’s Proexport, Mariano Zapata, said, “In the last 40 to 45 years, production has not stopped growing and it continues to increase at a rate of around 5% every year.”

Murcia’s pepper sector has replicated the success of Almeria’s greenhouses. The two main varieties grown in the region are the Lamuyo, which now accounts for around 35% of the entire production, and bell pepper, a shorter, round variety that arrived about 25 years ago and now makes up approximately 65% of overall production, according to Zapata.