The C.L.A.M. (Comité de liaison de l'agrumiculture méditerranéenne) met on November 6th to make an assessment on the current citrus fruit situation.
Estimates concerning the Mediterranean lemon production.
Mediterranean countries are expected to produce 2.8 million tons of lemons in 2014/15. It is quite a significant figure as it indicates a 4.7% increase with respect to the previous season. Italy was the only one that has not benefited from this growth, as production decreased by 12% instead.
Exports are estimated at 1.1 million, -4% with respect to the record 2013/14 season but +18% with respect to 2012/13. The main exporters are Spain (52%), and Turkey (38%).
Lemon export percentages per country.
We can see how exports from Spain and Turkey have decreased respectively by 10 and 1% in comparison with the 2013/14 season. For Italy, the situation should be actually quite good: +64% with respect to 2013/14 and +72% with respect to 2012/13.
The main buyers of Mediterranean lemons during the 2013/14 season were Germany, France, Ireland, and Italy in EU-15 and Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Romania in Eastern Europe.