Spain’s annual citrus campaign, which is expected to startwithin a matter of weeks, is likely to be marked by a fall in overall volumesof between 20 and 25 per cent compared with last season, according to a leadingfresh produce association.
Valencia-based Ava-Asaja said in a statement that datagathered from Valencia, which is the largest citrus producer in Spain, andother Spanish regions indicated that there was expected to be a substantialdecrease in the national crop.
Despite this, Ava-Asaja said that, in common with otherSpanish associations, it anticipated that quality of this year’s harvest wouldbe “extraordinary”, with no reported phytosanitary problems.
The association said that the sector also expected thecampaign to be free of the problematic low fruit sizes recorded last season.
Ava-Asaja president Cristóbal Aguado revealed that althoughthis year’s season could well be a short one, this year was likely to be adistinct improvement on the “ruinous” 2008/09 campaign.
Mr Aguado said that this season’s Valencian citrus campaignwas forecast to reach around 3m tonnes, while nationally the harvest wasexpected to total between 4.9m and 5.3m tonnes.
