Given the low availability of Spanish clementines, the situation on the market is complicated. “Very soon, there won’t be any more clementines available. The transition to mandarins is planned for the end of December, which will be 2 or 3 weeks earlier than the previous years,” reports Benoît Maillard-Guillon of Ets Meseguer, an importer based in Rungis.
The weather conditions in the Mediterranean basin are what caused the decrease in volumes. “The flowers, then the fruits were weakened from the start by cold waves, winds and violent rains. Some orchards in Spain are no longer exploitable at all. In other orchards, defects in appearance and color made most fruits on the trees non-marketable because the nights stayed warm for a very long time.”
“But what is positive is that the fruits selected taste and look very nice. The selection is done by the producers. On the other hand, this represents a lot of work in the orchards and the stores to obtain this result. Besides, the merchandise is quite fragile.”
According to Benoît, sales are not extraordinary. “There are fewer products, but the consumption also isn’t very high. The prices barely cover the production costs. At the end of the campaign, we will be able to tell if it has been a positive year or not. Prices are decent, but in terms of volumes, there is a great loss. The clementines from Morocco will arrive soon. “In my opinion, there will be enough merchandise available on the market to meet the demand; we will not need to add other origins.”
At the moment, the campaign of Spanish oranges is slowly beginning. “The volumes are there, and apparently, it will also be a nice campaign in terms of quality. There will be slightly fewer pomelos this year, but in Spain, the quality gets better each year in terms of color, Brix and juice levels.”
Spanish clementines offered by Ets Meseguer
For more information:
Benoît Maillard-Guillon
Ets Meseguer
Phone: +33 146 864 170
benoit@etsmeseguer.fr
www.etsmeseguer.fr