The Spanish clementine with leaf campaign is about to begin. The markets are receiving the first shipments of early varieties, which have been more eagerly anticipated this year, in view of the forecasts of a not very abundant harvest. This is reflected in the prices.
"This week, we will start marketing the first Clemenrubí with leaf, which will be followed by the Orogros and Oronules varieties," said José Ramón Mechó, manager of Agribur, based in the Spanish municipality of La Vall d'Uixó, Castellon. "While it is true that the sizes of the early varieties seem generally smaller this year, that's not a drawback for us, since, at the request of several supermarket chains, we pack them in cardboard baskets or flowpacks, which require smaller sizes."
"We are receiving many calls from interested buyers," says José Ramón Mechó, "The demand has increased, because in addition to an expected drop in the production, several cooperatives and sellers in Nules have had to close this year due to poor liquidity, and now there are fewer operators in the province of Castellon, where clementines and mandarins are the most produced and marketed products," he says.
According to José Ramón Mechó, there will be stocks of overseas mandarins, mainly Orri, Tango and Nadorcott, until mid-October. From week 41 onwards, large European retailers will be making the switch to Spanish fruit.
"Forecasts point to a first part of the campaign with moderate volumes until the end of December. We still don't know what the situation of the supply will be in the second part of the season," says José Ramón Mechó.
"Prices at origin, which started to be set about two months earlier than usual, are 15 to 20 cents higher than last season. This is partly due to the existence of increasingly larger groups of companies, which are taking advantage of the growing purchasing capacity of European supermarket chains, which account for almost 90% of the production. We believe that prices are going to stay high, so consumers will find fruit more expensive this year, not only for citrus, but for almost all fruits and vegetables. The impact of the weather on the productions and inflation is playing a key role in this situation," says the Agribur manager.
For more information:
José R. Mechó
Agribur S.L.
Ctra. Burriana- Segorbe, km. 23.5.
La Vall d'Uixó, Castellon. Spain
T: +34 964670215
M: +34 669819149
comercial@agribur.es
www.agribur.es