The increase in production in all agricultural sectors, which ranges between 15% and 20%, will allow Castellon to harvest around 650,000 tons of citrus this season and force exporting companies to redouble their external presence.
Even though the European Union accounts for 93% of exports, which in 2017 totaled 764 million euro, the Professional Association of Fruit Exporters of Castellon (Asociex) knows that increasing their presence in these countries is complicated.
In addition, since the US market they have a very competition from South Africa or Chile, which has forced several Asociex companies to stop selling there, the Association has set their sight in other countries, such as China or Canada, which in the words of the vice president of the Association, Pasqual Pla, "offer interesting options."
The entry into force of the free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union in September 2017 is one of the elements that improve the expectations for the presence of oranges and clementines from Castellon in this country. Although sales to this market only amounted to 9.3 million euro in 2017 (i.e. only 1.2% of total exports), producers and entrepreneurs are confident that the good trend will continue at the start of the Clementine Clemenule campaign and that they will surpass these figures in 2018. "The Canadian market isn't as demanding as the North American market, although many Moroccan companies are also installed there," said the vice president of Asociex.
China and the Clemenules
Another possibility is China, due to the huge size of this market. Sales to the Asian giant are still very limited, and only amounted to 1.8 million euro last year. The challenge, says Pla, is "to improve the logistics to send all kinds of fruit there, because it is a huge market."
Source: elperiodicomediterraneo.com
