"Turkey is causing lots of trouble," say lemon producers of the Region of Murcia to describe the fruit's current situation in the international market. Turkey has become a strong competitor, as far as prices are concerned, and this is making it "difficult to compete."
To avoid losing more market share and end up with rock-bottom prices, citrus growers have decided to "slow down" the harvest of their product, leaving the lemons on the tree.
In the 21 weeks of the campaign, Turkey has managed to harvest and export 379,000 tons, at a rate of 18,000 tons/week. The average price has stood at about 0.50 Euro/kilo, according to the data collected by the Lemon and Grapefruit Interprofessional Organization (Ailimpo).
"Turkey's commercial aggressiveness has allowed the country to be present in 65 markets," added Ailimpo, which warned especially about the presence of Turkish lemons in destinations such as Canada or the US, "where Spain has some hopes to expand."
Source: laopiniondemurcia.es
