Excessive amounts of citrus

The citrus market collapsed mid-October lasting until December. In January, the market improved somewhat, but not enough to say it's doing 'well'. According to importer Leo Pels the citrus situation is not terrible, "Nothing special, normal for this time of the year. Sales are certainly happening but the prices are not the best. The price we are at now is a minimal price that we cannot go below."

Leo Pels has years of experience in the citrus business, "The market is not getting easier and there is a structural oversupply. The biggest difference from how it was in the past is the volume. Worldwide, there was less production. Right now, an increasing amount of citruses are coming from many different production areas." The reason that the citrus market collapsed in October 2014 is because South Africa announced that they would stop early, but then more volumes came instead of less." Pels does not expect the citrus market to improve a great deal, "If it freezes in Egypt, Israel, Turkey or Greece then we sell more to Spain. But that will probably not happen."