The data collected by the Observatory of Prices and Markets of the Junta de Andalucía in recent weeks reflects the difficulties that the orange and lemon campaigns continue to experience in the autonomous community.
According to the Junta de Andalucía's report, which is based on data for weeks 51 and 52 of 2021 and week 1 of 2022, there continue to be few commercial citrus operations. The percentage of fruit on the tree that still hasn't been harvested is higher than that on the same date of other campaigns and the sector is uneasy about the future of the campaign.
Orange and lemon prices at origin continue to be lower than in previous campaigns. In the first week of 2022, oranges registered an average price of 0.15 euro/kg. According to the document, the Navelina and Salustiana varieties reached an average value of 0.13 euro/kg and 0.18 euro/kg, respectively, while the Fino lemon's average price stood at 0.20 euro/kg.
The average price of oranges in week 1 of this year was 25% lower than the average price in the five preceding campaigns (0.20 euro/kg), while the average price of lemon was 37.5% lower (0.32 euro/kg). In the case of orange, this percentage rises to 42.3% when compared to the average price of week 1 in the 2020/21 campaign (0.26 euro/kg).
According to the Observatory's report, the average prices of the oranges and lemons in the handling in the first week of 2022 stood at 0.43 euro/kg for oranges and 0.45 euro/kg for lemons. Orange prices were 19% lower and lemon prices were 33% than the average of the same week in the five previous campaigns (0.53 euro/kg, and 0.67 euro/kg, respectively).
Mandarin prices have not collapsed
In week 1, the average price of mandarins stood at 0.39 euro/kg. The average value of the varieties in the Clementines group was 0.35 euro/kg and that of Mandarins and hybrids was 0.44 euro/kg. This average price was 21.8% higher than the average achieved in the same week between 2016 and 2021 (0.32 euro/kg), and 14.7% higher than the 0.34 euro/kilo achieved in the same week of last season.
Upon leaving the handling center, the average value reached by mandarins in week 1 of 2022 was 0.75 euro/kg, a value that only differs by 1.3% from the average prices achieved last season and in the last 5 campaigns.