Lemon producers of the Region of Valencia haven't escaped the impact of the citrus crisis. The campaign has been disastrous and according to a study by LA UNIO de Llauradors, the losses recorded by the Fino variety alone amount to 39 million Euro. The Fino is the most common variety and is harvested from October to March. This figure adds to the 200 million Euro in losses that Valencian orange and mandarin producers have recorded to date.
The lemon prices provided officially by the Council of Agriculture reflect that, on average, they have fallen by 26% compared to last season, dropping from 0.38 €/kg to 0.28 €/kg. During the first part of the campaign, lemon prices had actually been very similar to those of the previous one, recording even a slight increase; however, in the second, up to mid-January, prices dropped by 27% and the situation afterwards only got worse, with 52% lower prices compared to the previous season (from 0.41 €/ kg last season to the current 0.21 €/kg).
These prices, however, are those paid in the best of cases, because according to the data collected by LA UNIÓ de Llauradors, more than 26,000 tons of lemons have been left unharvested in the fields of the Region of Valencia. Of the 39 million Euro in losses estimated by this agrarian organization, about 30 million would be a direct result of the drop in prices to unprofitable levels and the remaining 9 would be a consequence of the volumes left unharvested.
It is argued that one of the main reasons for this anomalous situation is an increase in the lemon production, but if the data are closely analyzed, it seems that this is not so much the case. The Fino lemon production (which accounts for 64% of the total lemon production in the Region) has increased by 14% at national level from one season to the next and by only 6% in the Region of Valencia. A spectacular increase in the production has been recorded for the Verna variety, but its campaign has not even started.
Perhaps one of the aspects that has had a decisive impact on the campaign is the competition from Turkish lemons. After the country recovered its normal production, with some 800,000 tons, there was also a devaluation of the currency, which has led to an oversupply in the markets with much cheaper prices. There are also more and more competitors, like South Africa, Argentina and even Egypt, which seems determined to bet strongly on this crop after having been almost exclusively focused on oranges.
LA UNIÓ will demand that the Administrations provide solutions and introduce measures to compensate for the significant loss of income that lemon producers will suffer this campaign.
For more information:
Carles Peris, general secretary
LA UNIÓ de Llauradors
+34 658 92 89 23