"Consumption of oranges stays on expected course"

On time for the end of summer, cooler temperatures are also setting in, in Germany. “Orange consumption is staying on the expected course this time of season,” Stephan Rötzer, CEO of the SanLucar Gruppe, explains. “We can however be certain that consumption of citrus fruit will go up again in Germany when the temperatures get lower. Normally the demand for citrus fruits reaches its peak during the months of November, December and January.”

Stephan Rötzer, CEO of the SanLucar Gruppe

For the current campaign 2014/2015, the USDA has predicted a further reduction of 7.3 percent in orange production. Stephan Rötzer is an expert in citrus fruits. He knows: “When talking about the European season, we need to divide the season into two separate stages. Firstly, at an earlier time in the season, the harvest is still at a normal level. This is the only time that complaints can be made about the fruit only being available in small calibres. But aside from that, conditions were most satisfactory.

In the second half of the season, the high temperatures were responsible for the drop in the harvest yield,” Stephan Rötzer further explains. According to USDA, the European orange producers will have produced around 13.6 percent fewer oranges than last year. “This year's temperatures have had an extremely negative effect on the blooming of the orange trees. That quickly led to a decline in quality and smaller production quantities.” As a result of the low supply, orange prices went up.

As the USDA reported, globally only the African production is proceeding at the normal level. The CEO describes the situation: “The conditions in Africa are different. Due to heavy rainfall, the season in South Africa has started somewhat delayed. Aside from that, all species of orange that SanLucar works with, arrive in Europe with high quality and in peak condition.”

For more information:
Sonia Gabarda
SanLucar Fruit S.L.
Serra Llarga 24, Puzol,Valencia (Spain)
Tel: +34 96 142 40 40 - 2410
sonia.gabarda@sanlucar.com
www.sanlucar.com