The Spanish citrus campaign has entered its finalstages, and taking into account the prices which oranges and mandarins havebeen reaching in Valencia and Andalusia, the quality problems growers have had toface, and the slow pace of sales both nationally and internationally, mostoperators agree that the situation is catastrophic after a season likely tohave been the worst on record.
In the Region of Valencia, Spain's largest orange and clementine producer, quality has been affected since the beginning by the fruit's lack of colour and small calibres, in addition to two physiopathies which have caused significant losses. In this sense, the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA) has launched a number of research projects to find out the causes and their possible solutions, including complex treatments aimed at preventing dryness, transpiration and poor calcium assimilation.
The weather has been remarkably mild, both in Spain and the rest of Western Europe; something which, according to exporters, has taken a toll on consumption levels.
Regarding prices, clementines have reached the most reasonable levels, with higher prices for varieties such as the Afourer and Nadorcott. "The problem is that prices have been even higher at origin than at retailers, with distributors paying between 0.80 and 0.90 Euro/kilo," continues the exporter. "Additionally, while Spain sold its export box for between 15 and 20 Euro, Morocco shipped it for between 12 and 13 Euro."
In the case of oranges, which have seen a considerable increase in production volumes, "prices have been terrible during the entire season, starting with the Naveline and continuing with the Navelate, Navel Lane Late etc. It is also worth noting that the plentiful supply from Egypt has pushed prices down, especially for the Navel."
Given the circumstances, many growers have already decided to abandon the crop, as the low prices do not cover the harvesting costs. The clearest example is that of the province of Valencia, where the citrus acreage is expected to continue dropping, while other fruits, like kakis, are gradually expanding.