The Spanish mandarin season has begun with good demand. "We started harvesting the leaf clementine, Clemenrubi, in the first week of October, and so far, there's more demand than supply. The same goes for the Oronules. There are even fewer of these," says the Spanish company Agribur's commercial manager Marcel de Koning. He has worked in the Spanish fruit trade for 30 years.
"There's less Clemenrubi and Oronules production than in other years. Spain had a hot summer with hardly any rain which obviously affected citrus production. We expect the Clemenules harvest to be slightly larger than last year. But then again, in 2021, production was significantly lower than in previous years. We expect normal Clemenvilla, Tango, and Nadorcott volumes this season."
© Agribur
"Navelina oranges' biggest issue is size grading. Volumes are about 15% lower, and the many small sizes can only be sold as juicing oranges," Marcel says. France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands are Agribur's top sales countries. "Little has changed in that aspect in recent years."
Leaf mandarins are this Spanish citrus exporter's flagship product. "Agribur continues to grow, certainly in leaf mandarins. Several countries' supermarkets increasingly want this product on their shelves precisely because it gets to consumers straight off the tree. Leaf mandarins picked in the morning reach their final destination via refrigerated truck that same day," explains Marcel.
"For us, flavor is paramount. Of course, the product must look nice, but it must always taste good to keep customers coming back. We're going for the Clemenrubi Oronules, Clemenules, Clemenvilla (Nova), Tango, Nadorcott, and Orri varieties this year. We're also considering opportunities to introduce new varieties to our clients."
He expects it to be a difficult citrus season. "All costs have gone up here, and the question is whether this can be passed on to buyers. It's hard to predict how citrus demand will develop and how shoppers will behave with this very high inflation. That, and the ever-increasing number of growers who stop cultivating citrus, are the main challenges," Marcel concludes.
For more information:
Marcel de Koning
Agribur
Tel: +34 (0) 679 811 147
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.agribur.es
