The cultivation of new citrus varieties in the Spanish province of Castellón, as well as the abandonment of fields, have caused the acreage devoted to the Clemenules in 2018 to fall by 515 hectares. It is worth noting that this variety accounts for around 75% of the province's total citrus production.
In percentage terms, the acreage used to produce this fruit, which was estimated at over 24,000 hectares in 2018, has fallen by 2%. This may seem low, but if the reduction continues at the same pace for a decade, the province of Castellón would lose a quarter of its Clemenules orchards by 2029.
More abandonment of fields
The figure has been reported in the framework of a campaign with a remarkable decline in the production volume, which has caused prices at origin to be unusually high, without really compensating for the drop in the production, and with the structural problems still there.
The abandonment of the fields is one of the biggest challenges. Castellón has lost 25% of its acreage in the last 20 years due to the lack of profitability of the production. The terrible 2018/2019 citrus campaign has made matters worse, especially for the province's main product: the Clemenules.
In 1998, Castellón had 184,400 hectares of farmland, while in 2018, this acreage had been reduced to 141,900; that is, 42,500 less. Citrus fruits record one of the greatest declines, having gone from 43,479 hectares to 35,062 in two decades.
Source: elperiodicomediterraneo.com
