No improvements have been observed in the situation of the Andalusian citrus sector. In week 13 (March 28-April 3) there was a delay in the harvesting and marketing of citrus due to low demand in the European market, aggravated by the transport strike, according to the latest report from the Prices and Markets Observatory of the Andalusian Government, which also says that "the fruit continues to ripen on the tree and the ripest varieties, such as the Salustianas, are starting to fall."
"Although the juice futures markets in America, the main consumer, are on the rise, the large volume of fruit in the current Andalusian campaign is preventing an increase in the average price paid to the producers," says the Andalusian agency. In fact, in week 13, orange and mandarin prices remained stable, with 0.13 € / kg and 0.45 € / kg, respectively, well below the prices recorded in the same week of the previous season (0.30 and 0.69 € / kg), and 52.3% and 28.9%, respectively, below the average of the last 5 years.
Lemons, on the other hand, recorded a price increase coinciding with the end of the early lemon or Fino season and the beginning of the late lemon or Verna season. The price grew to 0.32 €/kg.
The Andalusian citrus sector has faced additional problems in recent weeks that have taken a toll on an already poor campaign.
The transport strike called by the Platform for the Defense of the Road Freight Transport Sector has led to a significant loss of sales in the sector. In week 11, "no or little movement of goods" was reported; in week 12, "movement was scarce and limited to the local, regional and national market," and in week 13, "there were reports on the difficulties in finding trucks."
This also resulted in production losses due to fruit ripening on the trees due to the impossibility of harvesting and a halt in the work of the warehouses, given the shortage of packaging materials.
The war in Ukraine, meanwhile, has led to an increase in the supply of citrus fruits in the European market, as the citrus fruits that third countries were shipping to Russia had to be redirected. There have also been new increases in the production costs: energy, fertilizers, etc.