Spanish competition looms over Sicilian lemons

Sicilian lemon production is currently in a transitional phase between the Primofiore and Maggiolino harvests. In an interview, Salvo Magliocco of PASAM Agrumi takes stock of the situation: "The difficulties in the market at the moment are linked to the competition from the Spanish product, which is imported to Italy at very low prices."

Salvo Magliocco

"The situation is no different on the international markets," adds Magliocco. "Spanish lemons arrive at a price of €80.0/0.90 cents per kg, while they are harvested in Sicily at €0.40 cents. Then there are the costs of processing, sorting, packaging and transport to Germany, where prices can reach €1.20 per kg. The main cause of this trend is the overproduction of the product in Spain, with the result that supply far exceeds demand, to the extent that, according to our direct information, the product is sometimes sent to Germany without any indication of price, only to be defined when it arrives at its destination."

"Nevertheless, we continue to serve our customers," the expert points out, "who confirm their appreciation, above, all for the excellent quality of the Sicilian lemon, but also for a whole range of services that we offer, starting with maintaining the integrity of our business. This has allowed us, over the years, to consolidate a circle of loyal customers. Our main product is and will continue to be organic, as we have recently started producing Demeter and Bio Suisse lemons. Obviously, this product, with its higher standards, stands out from the normal market trend mentioned above, and is particularly sought after in Germany, but also in Austria and Switzerland."

"The production trend in the field seems to be particularly good this year," says the interviewee, "with high yields and very interesting quality standards, to the point that we have been able to add new customers to the already confirmed established and historical ones. If we take into account that the Femminello variety produces four flowerings, we can already observe a very good presence of the Verdello variety on the plants for the summer season. As part of our ecological practices, we have recently partnered with a breeder of Sicilian black bees to increase the pollination of our citrus groves in a completely natural way. The Sicilian black bee is part of the Slow Food Presidium species because it was in danger of extinction in Sicily, and I can say that this agreement strengthens our ties with the territory."

"We market our products in corrugated cardboard boxes," concludes Magliocco. "We also make extensive use of biodegradable cellulose nets for organic production. The challenge for the next few years is to convert all our production to organic and biodynamic, not only to make the product more attractive to the market, but also to make a concrete contribution to preserving the planet."