Spanish lemon shipments to non-EU destinations up 70%

Spanish lemon shipments to non-EU destinations are growing significantly this year, by about 70%, according to data supplied by the Interprofessional Lemon and Grapefruit Association (Ailimpo).

Up to 31 December 2014, lemon shipments to Saudi Arabia increased by 4,884% (942,372 kg); those to Hong Kong grew by 415% (590,433 kg); to UAE, by 311% (752,960 kg); to the U.S., by 242% (806,166 kg); to South Africa, by 147% (261,381 kg) and to Canada, by 42% (527,297 kg).

"The sector is making a considerable effort to position itself in faraway markets. These are modest volumes compared to what we ship to the European Union, which represents about 90% of our contingent, but we aim to continue growing in the coming seasons," affirms José Antonio García, director of Ailimpo.

Although during the months of January and February lemon sales are usually slow, the current campaign is continuing normally, with stable prices for the Fino lemon ranging between 0.15 and 0.24 Euro per kilo at origin. According to José Antonio, "sales are expected to reactivate from the second week of February, leading to a greater balance between supply and demand."

Turkey has recently been hit by frosts, and although exact figures of affected acreage are still unknown, "it appears that the Turkish lemon export season will finish earlier than usual, not only because of the frost's impact, but also due to their more advanced ripening stage," explains José Antonio García.

Nevertheless, José Antonio reminded that these circumstances will not have a significant impact on Spanish exports. "Turkey has been shipping limited volumes to the European Union, where Spain remains the dominant market supplier since the campaign started," he points out.