The citrus sector already has its sights set on the next season –in which they expect a lower production–, while the current season is coming to an end. The two Spanish inter-branch organizations, Intercitrus (orange and mandarin) and Ailimpo (lemon and grapefruit), continue to be optimistic about the sector's future. Despite the challenges the sector faces, such as the cotonet pest or the possible reduction of water from the Tajo-Segura transfer, the sector hopes it will resume exports to the United States and open other new markets in the coming years, without ruling out the end of the Russian veto on community fruit, and that phytosanitary control of shipments from third countries will be increased at the border.
In addition, the sector itself shows positive signs. According to the president of Intercitrus, Ramon Espinosa, after a constant decrease in surface, in 2020 the sector has recovered its productive potential with 1,500 hectares of new citrus plantations, especially in Andalusia, which will increase volumes with a view to the opening of new markets.
In his opinion, this season that has just ended has been reasonably good, better in mandarin than in orange, despite the stagnation of prices there was since December, due to the overlap in production and because the hotel industry was closed.
The president of Ailimpo, Antonio Moreno - who will leave this rotating position on July 14 - has ensured that the impact of the closure of the Horeca channel affected lemon more than the rest of citrus fruits, so its campaign balance is more negative.
"It has been a complicated, atypical campaign with a great harvest but a smaller market. As a result, there have been moments in which there has been a surplus in production and falling prices. It has not been as disastrous as in other years, but prices were below costs in some moments," Moreno stated to Efeagro.
According to Espinosa, one of the greatest challenges for the future of the sector is to increase border controls in order to contain the entry of pests into the producing areas. In this regard, he is pinning his hopes on the revision of the EU-South Africa trade agreement that will take place next October.
The orange sector is concerned about South African imports due to the cotonet pest while the lemon sector fears that the black spot fungus, which has been detected in many Argentinean shipments to the EU and even led to the closure of borders for these shipments since last summer, might enter the continent and affect the producing areas.
Source: agrodiario.com
