Figures released by the Mediterranean citrus liaison committee (CLAM) this week show that countries in the region are forecasting a six per cent increase in production this season.
Total volumes are expected to rise to 19.2 million tonnes. The region taken into consideration by the committee includes Spain, France, Italy, Greece. Morocco, Turkey, Israel, Tunisia and Algeria. As well as production rising by 1mt on last year, exports are forecast to grow by the same quantity - a 10 per cent rise.
The main reason for the increased growth is an expected larger crop from the biggest producer country - Spain. But at the committee’s meeting in Athens, industry leaders expressed concern at the maturity of the markets they serve.
“The market for Mediterranean citrus is very mature and it requires that the increase in production goes hand-in-hand with a hike in consumption, especially in the markets of central and eastern Europe,” said committee secretary-general Octavio Ramón.
He also said that the citrus sector in the Mediterranean Basin will undergo a “revolution” in the next few years as new varieties being tested in research stations throughout the region start to come onto the market. “They present our sector with great hope,” said Ramón.
Orange production is expected to climb only modestly by 400,000t this season while easy-peel volumes will soar by 700,000t to 5.3mt.
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