Spain: Clementine market slowing down

Clementine and mandarin sales are now back to normal after the significant increase in exports registered on week 48, which was marked by the St. Nicholas festivities in central Europe.

"Last week was outstanding for us because of the great demand from Central European countries like the Netherlands or Germany, where mandarins are traditionally gifted as part of the St. Nicholas festivities," explains Carlos Sancho, marketing manager of the Valencian company Madremia. "To this end, small 2.3 kilo boxes of clementines are popular in supermarkets; boxes with an original design that emulates that of a box of chocolates."

Overall, the citrus market is quiet at the moment, according to Carlos Sancho, both in Europe and overseas, with fewer container shipments compared to previous weeks. "Looking ahead to the coming weeks, we expect increased demand for clementines with the arrival of Christmas and cold temperatures in Europe."

The situation is less positive for oranges since the campaign started, although "it is a situation that has become common in recent seasons," points out Carlos. "There is a clear oversupply of oranges, especially in southern Spain, and competition from countries like Greece, in Europe, and to a lesser extent, Egypt, has considerably increased. This forces us to look for destinations outside the EU, such as Brazil and Canada," he states.

The weather has not been a good ally to Valencian citrus growers this season, with excessively high temperatures until late November and consequently difficulties in the fruit's ripening. Now the temperatures are dropping, although accompanied by heavy rains since last weekend.

"While the Valencian coast was affected by drought and rainfall was needed, rains are not beneficial at this stage of the campaign, as both mandarins and oranges have reached an advanced stage of ripening and the fruit runs the risk of rotting due to moisture," he says. "However, rains are more than welcome in September and April."

"Although the weather has also made things difficult for us this season and average prices remain low, we hope it will be better than the previous one, especially in terms of quality. This year we are not suffering problems of cracked skin and calibres are more homogeneous."

As every year, Frutas Madremia will have its own stand at the next edition of Fruit Logistica, in Berlin, where its oranges and clementines with leaf, as well as its new line of kakis, will be promoted. Kakis, according to Carlos Sancho, are yielding great results in the export markets and the company has opened new handling facilities for them this year.