The lemon harvest is underway in the Spanish province of Alicante with good prices that could even increase in the following weeks. "The season is going very well in the area where our farms are located, with good sizes and volumes, and prices at source currently exceed 40 cents per kilo. However, the cold weather, with temperatures below 0 degrees and the frosts of the last few days have taken a toll on a lot of the fruit, especially in the Santomera area, so prices are expected to rise in a month or a month and a half from now because there will be a drop in the supply," says Vicente Quirante, of Quivia.
One of the factors that has raised new concerns in the sector this season, the South African thrips, is not causing so much damage to lemons. "It's a different story in the case of mandarins and oranges, where the incidence is becoming more noticeable." Scirtothrips aurantii, better known as South African thrips, feed on the leaves and the outer layers of the fruit's skin, causing the appearance of greyish spots that only affect the fruit aesthetically.
"At Quivia, we aim to fully implement zero residue agriculture, and this strategy has allowed us to reach more clients. This year, the thrips issue has made that more challenging, but we are minimizing the impact with good management and we aim to continue tackling it using zero residue techniques," says Vicente.
"From our point of view, keeping consumers informed is very important, and they should be aware that a fruit with an aesthetic defect, but zero residues is healthier than a fruit with an unblemished appearance that has been treated with chemicals that leave residues on it," he says.
"Mandarin varieties from the second season reaching better sizes"
As far as the mandarin season is concerned, there is a smaller volume than last season. "The tree load is low, especially for those varieties that couldn't be marketed last year due to a lack of commercial sizes, such as the Nova; nevertheless, the situation is better for the second season varieties, which are reaching better sizes than in the first part of the campaign," says Vicente.
"To be more specific, we are expecting a very good season for the Leanri," says Vicente. "This is a mandarin that appealed to us because of its flavor, crunchy texture, and intense red color; and it won us over with its splendid post-harvest. This season's sizes are just as spectacular as in previous seasons and we hope it will be as successful as in previous years."
"Our strategy is clear: to offer high-quality fruit and reputable varieties, and we have achieved this with varieties such as the Leanri in mandarins, and with the Chislett, Midknight or Cara Cara in oranges," he says. "As in the case of mandarins, we are expecting fruit with good calibers in this second part of the orange season, and although we don't know what will happen with the prices, the season looks set to be positive."
For more information:
Quivia
Plaza Miguel Hernández, 1
03181, Torrevieja, Alicante, Spain
Tel.: +34 619 945 909
[email protected]
https://quivia.es