China: Difficulties importing Spanish oranges
Spain suffered from unusual weather conditions in January and February. Because of excessive rain, cold weather and even snow, the new orange plants were harmed, fruits were damaged and the quality is less than in previous seasons. Growers have reported that this year has been the worst of the past 10 years.
An orange tree that was damaged by snow in Valencia in January
Chinese consumers prefer oranges with sizes of 48, 54, 60-64 and 70-72. However, the majority of Spanish crops have grown oranges with sizes of 60-64, 70-72 and 80. The cold weather conditions also impacted the level of sweetness and caused the oranges to be less sweet than last year.
In addition, the issue is worsened by strikes at Spanish ports. Things got even worse when strikers blockaded the dispatching of containers. Spanish lemons are experiencing same problem as oranges.
A Spanish navel orange from the new production season
