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Spain: Citrus ripening being delayed by the heat

The month of November is about to begin and temperatures are still 10 degrees above the average for this time of the year, with night temperatures of 20ºC in the Mediterranean coast, when they should ideally not be higher than 10 to 12ºC.

The heat is consequently delaying the ripening of the main citrus varieties, such as the Clemenules, affecting the fruit's quality, not in flavour and sugar levels, which are notably good, but in the colour, as the high temperatures prevent the fruit reaching the desired colour before harvest time.

"If the fruit is harvested before it reaches the right colour, it will not acquire an attractive appearance at the degreening chambers. In the case of clementine varieties presented with leaf for export, the delays will be even greater, as this fruit must be harvested at the end of the colouring stage, without going into chambers. Growers will consequently be forced to leave the fruit in the trees for longer, with every risk this entails," explains a specialist in citrus import and export.

In addition to all this, we must also take the increase in production costs into account, as growers are forced to take precautions against new pests or to increase irrigation. The cold weather which encourages consumers to purchase citrus is also not arriving to the rest of Europe, and this foreign demand is at lower levels than in previous years.

"We hope that the weather prospects become a reality and that temperatures start going down from next week onwards," he concludes.


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