Demand for citrus is picking up, "Sales are doing better now that the weather is colder," sats Henk Vlaeminck from Van Dijk Foods Belgium. There has been an increase in the price of the juicing oranges due to less supply. The price of the navel orange is pretty stable." Henk says that the Spanish want to raise the price of the juicing oranges by one Euro per crate, "Some still have stock at the old prices, but the prices are higher for the newer loads, they are rising to 11 and 12 Euro. At the end of next week the Maroc Late will come onto the market. We will see the kind of impact the Moroccan supply will have on the juicing oranges."
Navel Late and Nadercott
"There is currently a transition from the Navel oranges to the Navel Late oranges. These are a little more expensive than the 'normal' navel oranges, but the prices are quite normal. Gradually more Nadercott tangerines are coming onto the market, and Clemenvilla is now nearing its end."
Lemons
Henk continues, "We expect that the Spanish lemon season will end sooner than last year. The Primofiore variety is expected until the end of February. After which comes the later variety Verna, which is expected to last only about a month. Spanish shippers believe that the lemon season is as good as over at the beginning of April. This is a month and a half earlier than normal." The lower supply was mainly due to the weather, "This is why the harvest of the Verna lemons will be 30-40% lower. The prices have been high the whole season, well above one Euro."