Spanish grower-exporter business Gruventa has forecast a good season for the country's citrus, with the Murcia-based group's managing director Fermín Sánchez Navarro describing prospects for the upcoming campaign as very “promising”.
"Demand in central Europe will be very active," Sánchez commented. "We also think that early varieties will see some very fluid commerical activity."
He added that Spain's citrus exporters would remain under pressure to consolidate their supply in the face of intense competition, to promote their products more and, in particular, to try and boost communications and online marketing.
Expanding into new and developing markets, especially in the eastern half of Europe, would also be a priority, he suggested.
"In the citrus sector, it is a top priority to maximise our international presence and consolidate exports to Russia and eastern European markets as well as open up new destinations such as the US and Asia," he said.
According to estimates compiled by the agriculture department at the Murcia regional executive, this year's citrus output is likely to be nearly 15 per cent down on last season at 654,983 tonnes.
Low temperatures in the spring have affected production of lemon – the mainstay of citrus in the region – in particular.
As a result, the department has forecast a 21 per cent fall in lemon output compared with the previous year.
