Spanish citrus growers in the key production region of Valencia are set to benefit from a much improved harvest this season, thanks in part to better weather conditions over recent months.
According to the Valencia region’s department of agriculture, growers in the eastern Spanish zone are expected to produce 3,514,162 tonnes of citrus during the 2010/11 campaign – some 8 per cent more than the previous season.
In a statement, the autonomous region said that Valencia’s citrus sector was on course to deliver 1,602,840 tonnes of oranges and 1,729,314 tonnes of mandarins, equivalent to an 8.4 per cent and 7.3 per cent seasonal increase respectively.
The production rise is expected to be spread evenly across the different varieties being produced by Valencian growers during the course of the campaign.
However, the department of agriculture said that by far the most notable increase in volumes would be in lemons, with this season’s harvest expected to rise by 11 per cent to over 176,828 tonnes.
