The market for Spanish citrus is facing some challenges. "The week of Fruit Logistica isn't the busiest week in our trade, and we're also dealing with carnival now, just when a lot of fruit is entering the market," says Ronnie Moorman, responsible for the import of Spanish citrus at Willem Dijk AGF.
Egypt earlier
"From Seville, a huge amount of Salustianas is being shipped now. There is also a lot of Moroccan produce on the market, and the Egyptian oranges arrived on the market three to four weeks earlier. Egypt yields between 6 and 8 Euro, while we have to pay between 7.50 and 9.50 Euro for Spanish oranges," Ronnie says. "And rightly so, because the Spanish oranges' brix is still a lot better."
"The start of the Navel Late season was bad due to the rain, which caused quite a bit of peel damage. At the moment, the fruit is very good, but prices are under pressure. A good tray of fruit should yield 70/80 cents per kilo, but some brands charge 8 Euro for 15 kg," the importer calculates.
Mandarins
"When it comes to mandarins, Morocco is currently the biggest competitor for Nadorcott from Spain. There is also some demand for Orri from Israel, and at the end of this week, the American Minneolas will start," Ronnie goes on. "Last year, the mandarin season went better. I personally expect prices for Spanish mandarins to go down even more, particularly the upper segment."
For a number of years, Willem Dijk AGF has also been exporting on the German market, which has turned out to be a good decision according to the importer. "It used to be difficult to sell Spanish citrus from here in Germany, but we're doing particularly well selling the Navel Late from Elefant."
For more information:
Willem Dijk AGF BV
Ronnie Moorman
+31(0)653374274
ronnie@willemdijk.nl
www.willemdijk.nl