Spanish citrus PGI (Protected Geographical Indicator) organisation Cítricos Valencianos managed to maintain stable volumes of fruit sales during the difficult 2009/10 campaign in spite of a widespread fall in production.
The Valencia-based group also revealed that it doubled the amount of citrus groves certified under the programme during the season, while it maintained a steady market share in key export destinations, thanks in part to point-of-sale promotions.
These were the principal conclusions of Cítricos Valencianos’ newly-released results for the most recent citrus campaign, which confirmed that certified fruit from the Spanish region has remained competitive despite considerable challenges.
The PGI group said that the organisation’s growers had maintained the market positions achieved during recent seasons in terms of volumes of fruit sold in spite of “a considerable generalised fall in production” in Valencia of 18 per cent.
During the 2009/10 campaign, the organisation sold over 14,520 tonnes of fruit compared with almost 14,516 tonnes during the previous season.
In a statement, Cítricos Valencianos’ managing director, Juan Bautista Juan, said: “These results confirm that the PGI has maintained the same position as previous seasons.
“Without doubt, the efforts we have made to promote our citrus have contributed to this, as well as making available a quality seal, which conveys trustworthiness and safety assurances to EU consumers.”
Mr Juan said Cítricos Valencianos had also increased the amount of citrus groves certified under its programme during the campaign, with the land area rising from 7,903ha to 14,990ha.
