The Algarve is responsible for 90% of Portugal’s orange production; orange trees need a lot of water (much more than avocados, for example) and with the drought, this has almost been impossible. Whatever trees have produced this year is generally smaller, less in number – and certainly nothing like as juicy.
Producers have said they ‘have never seen anything like it’: a summer with so many days of heat, a winter with so little in the way of rain – and then the added frustration of cuts in water supplies for irrigation purposes; tighter controls on the use of boreholes and more.
Normally, orange production would keep suppliers stocked to the end of September. However, the cumulative results of so much adversity are that since the end of July, “there are practically no more oranges in the Algarve”.
Imports too are down, because of “falls in production of African oranges and phytosanitary restrictions imposed by the European Union. Without alternatives, the scarcity on the market is leading to prices increasing.” Suppliers have seen prices triple, which is why, if you fancy a nice cool glass of fresh orange juice, you are likely to be surprised by how much it costs.
Source: portugalresident.com
