The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has held a meeting with the citrus sector in Madrid to announce the production prospects for the campaign that started on September 1, as well as the data on citrus imports into the European Union and the declarations from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on varieties and planting year of the trees.
The meeting started with the Ministry expressing its concern for those affected by the recent storms, whose impact is still being analyzed.
Production 8% below average
The citrus production in the 2019/2020 campaign is estimated at 6.27 million tons, which is 17% less than last year and 8% below the average of the last 5 campaigns.
This figure is an approximation and is subject to revision, given the likely impact of the recent storms.
As for the citrus imports, the volumes imported into the EU in the previous campaign were lower than those of the previous season, mostly as a result of a high production in Spain.
Information on varieties and planting year
It is the first time that information is available on the variety and planting year of the trees; information that will soon be completed with the data from the General Registry of Holdings (REGEPA). This allows the Ministry to offer relevant information which the sector can use to develop strategies and improve the planning and monitoring of the campaigns.