Mandarin and clementine sales are going smoothly, with lower volumes and higher prices than in the same period last season, so there is still optimism in the sector.
"We hope traders won't harvest unripe fruit, taking advantage of the current good prices, since if unripe fruit hits the market, it ends up hurting us all. This is something that could happen this year," warns a Valencian exporter.
There are smaller volumes available compared to last season. Furthermore, due to the lower yield per tree, sizes are larger, which is advantageous for the fruit's sale. It is worth recalling that at the start of the 2014 campaign there were certain complications because of the lack of commercial calibres.
At present, the market has small amounts of Iwasaki and the Okitsu satsuma harvest is in full swing, with prices at origin ranging between 0.24 and 0.30 Euro per kilo. There are also clementines, such as the Clemenrubi (0.37-0.75 Euro/kilo, depending on quality) and Oronul (0.37 to 0.56 Euro/kilo), and the Marisol harvest is just starting. The first Navelinas are expected from late October.
There are still stocks of clementines and mandarins from the southern hemisphere, such as the Nadorcott and Orri, which currently reach very high prices, thus positively affecting the prices of early Spanish clementines and mandarins. Exports will gain strength as soon as the southern hemisphere stocks start running out.
So far, the rains registered in Andalusia and Valencia, Spain's main producing areas, have been beneficial, and this is reflected in the fruit's quality. However, given their maturity, clementines will be more sensitive to rainfall and humidity from now on.