At the moment, it is possible to find clementines from Portugal and Spain on the market. "We are now seeing the transition from one clementine variety to another; the end of the Oronules variety and the arrival of the Clemenules. Although there are a lot of clementines on the market, there is little quality merchandise," says Mourad Ben Salem, manager of the Med'Essor company, based in the MIN of Rungis.
"The rain in Portugal and Spain has damaged the harvest"
While in this transition between two varieties, the weather brought some extra difficulties. "It has rained a lot in Portugal and Spain in recent days. For this reason, the fruits are arriving with spots, mainly those from Portugal, and they are more prone to degrade rapidly. Besides, there are many small sizes and some lack of coloration. This is mainly due to the fact that we are reaching the end of the harvest of the Oronules variety. As at the beginning of many harvests, for now there are no large sizes or orange coloration."
"There is a certain balance in the market between supply and demand"
Despite this quality issues, the market is still fairly balanced. Prices are good, there is consumption, even though it is not currently very dynamic due to the health situation and the lack of cold temperatures. "Currently, it is 14ºC in France, which does not encourage consumers to eat clementines, as the fruit is normally consumed when temperatures fall to around 4-5ºC. However, it is possible to find lots of quality products on the market, which are selling well and at a higher price, taking into account the great demand for them.
"The situation will improve"
Although the situation is delicate in the clementine market due to the quality problems, this is just a temporary issue. "In about fifteen days, when the Clemenules season is already underway, there is a good chance that the harvest will be satisfactory, both in terms of quality and volumes."
In addition to clementines, Med’Essor also supplies Tunisian pomegranates. "This is a product with which we achieve good sales, as the quality is truly excellent."
For more information:
Mourad Ben Salem
Med’Essor
Rue de Carpentras CP90295
94592 Rungis Cedex
Tel: +33 1 41 80 64 60
Mob: +33 6 73 35 37 41
medessor@yahoo.fr