Demand for Spanish citrus is currently lagging far behind. That's what Gert Bouman of Spanish private producer Frutaria says. He points to the recession in Europe as an explanation for the difficult sales - "even worse than last season" - because of which, quite simply, less fruit is sold. "But export to markets outside Europe is also difficult."
"Of course we see nothing is being sold to Russia. Large volumes weren't going there anyway, but the produce still has to be sold in other countries. Countries like Poland are also lagging behind this year. The mood is just very lacklustre," Gert says. "We are very busy, but it's all at very low prices. At the moment, we are fully focusing on retail, because there is little demand on the markets, and you only get low prices. But you're also seeing promotions on 2 kilos for 99 cents in supermarkets in the Netherlands and Germany. You have to wonder whether that's good for the industry. The consumer thinks this is the price for an orange, undervaluing the product."
"The production runs in the south of Spain are good. We ended the Clementine season, and stopped with good quality Navelinas. Now we're getting the Clemenvilla season started, and we've begun with the Salustianas," Gert says. He thinks a further reorganization of the Spanish citrus sector is unavoidable. The past five years, many cooperatives and private companies have disappeared, a trend which will only continue. With prices like that, there's no future in the sector, and nobody is enthusiastic about investing in citrus productions, quite the contrary."
For more information:
Gert Bouman
Frutaria
T: (+34) 661 252 509
M: (+34) 661 252 509
gbouman@frutaria.com
www.frutaria.com