Yesterday, Fernando López Miras, president of the Region of Murcia, met with Joaquín Rubio, the new president of Ailimpo, the Lemon and Grapefruit Inter-branch Association, at the Palace of San Esteban. They discussed the sector's current situation, upcoming challenges, and its involvement in national and international fairs.
Following the meeting, Sara Rubira, the Regional Minister for Water, Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, highlighted that the Murcia lemon and grapefruit industry is the top producer and exporter, accounting for nearly half of Spain's overseas sales last year. Of the total 873 million euros in exports, over 420 million euros originated in Murcia, driven by the production of approximately 640,000 tons.
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The Agefis project, an initiative for sustainable crop protection in lemon cultivation, was also discussed during the meeting. The project, implemented by Ailimpo, has been financed by the regional government with 100,000 euros over the past two years.
Ailimpo allocates 450,000 euros annually to this project, which has established a network of monitoring stations in lemon plantations to enable early detection of pests and diseases.
Agefis started as a pilot project in 2024 with 20 stations across Murcia, Fortuna, Santomera, and Abanilla. Since then, the network has grown by 400%, now comprising 100 monitoring stations that also serve the provinces of Alicante, Malaga, and Almeria.
The Regional Minister stated that this initiative "provides growers with valuable information to optimize phytosanitary treatments, minimize unnecessary costs, and test biological control options."
The importance of carrying out border controls on imported products entering the Region of Murcia, especially during periods when Murcia has no production, was also discussed at the meeting. "Strict controls are crucial to keep pests from third countries out and protect our growers," the Minister of Agriculture stressed.
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