The sweet orange is the undisputed leading citrus fruit in the Andalusian countryside and in Seville, the main citrus-producing province of the autonomous community. However, in recent years, there's starting to be a change in trend marked by the continuous growth of mandarin crops to the detriment of orange crops.
Currently, the extra-early mandarin varieties, which are beginning to be harvested, have started to change color. The citrus campaign starts this week with an estimated harvest of 2.4 million tons in Andalusia (almost 3% more than in the previous season). 70% of the harvest corresponds to sweet oranges, 23% to mandarins, and 5% to lemons.
The Ministry of Agriculture estimates there will be a 1.3% decrease in orange production and a 19% increase in mandarin production compared to the previous season. This trend is also taken place in the province of Seville, which is expected will harvest 952,221 tons of citrus, i.e. 8% less than in the previous season. This fall is mainly due to the decrease in the local orange harvest (-10.5%). Meanwhile, mandarin production will increase by 16.5%.
Marketing
The citrus campaign starts with good marketing prospects, according to the president of Asaja Sevilla, Ricardo Serra. Producers are optimistic after the good numbers achieved by the export and consumption in the previous campaign. It should be noted that Spain is the sixth-biggest producer of oranges worldwide, the second producer of mandarins after China, and the seventh-biggest producer of lemons and limes in the world.
The value of Andalusia's citrus exports continues its upward trend. In 2020-2021, Andalusia exported 356,000 tons of citrus, i.e. 15.2% of its production, for 308 million euro.
By species, the region exported a total of 249,000 tons of oranges, equivalent to 14.5% of the production, for 187 million euro. Andalusia exported 63,000 tons of mandarins, i.e. 13.4% of its production, for 66 million euros. The region exported more than 37,000 tons of lemon, i.e. 31.6% of its production, for 46 million euro.
Germany was the main destination country for Andalusia's citrus exports, with 26% of the total, followed by France with 19%, and Portugal with 11%.
In addition, consumption in 2020 experienced a rebound in all products, most likely due to the change in habits due to the pandemic and the WHO recommendations on the benefits of vitamin C for health and against COVID-19. Thus, orange and mandarin consumption in Andalusia increased by 11%.
Source: sevilla.abc.es
