The loading of the first shipment of clementines bound for the US market started a few days ago at the Port of Castellon. The Green Brazil, as the ship is called, will depart on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, depending on how it goes with the loading process, with 3,000 tonnes of fruit in its refrigerated cargo hold.
This will be the first ship connecting the ports of Castellon and Philadelphia this season. Normally, around 16 or 17 ships are used to export Castellon's fruit to the State of Pennsylvania, which is then distributed along the entire US East Coast.
Despite slight delays in the campaign due to high temperatures and lack of rainfall, the departure of the first shipment to the United States has taken place earlier than in previous years. As usual, it is loaded with early clementines, mainly of the Marisol variety.
The harvest has been done more smoothly during the past few days, especially for the earliest varieties, despite the fact that some batches were affected by the hailstorms from late June.
With this shipment, Castellon's citrus campaign is officially open, as well as the export season for some of the largest companies and cooperatives of the province, associated under Citruship.
The first shipment from Uruguay has coincidentally also departed recently. According to the Uruguayan newspaper El Observador Agropecuario, the first five containers with oranges of the Valencia variety will depart on Wednesday from the Port of Montevideo bound to Philadelphia. It will be the first shipment since Uruguay managed to obtain the licence from the US authorities, who are always alert to prevent the spread of fruit flies to their crops.
Source: Elperiodicomediterraneo.com