The total citrus yield in 2004/05 in the Mediterranean Basin countries amounted to 18.15 million tonnes, out of the global citrus yield of 91.5mt.

However, delegates at the annual meeting of CLAM (Liaison Committee for Mediterranean Citrus Fruit Culture) which convened at the beginning of October in Marrakech, Morocco, were told the total citrus yield of CLAM members was 4.5 per cent higher than the forecast given at the beginning of the 2004/05 season of 17.4mt.

Of the total yield, 7.8mt were used for local consumption in the respective countries; 3.3 mt for processing, loss and damages - 1.2 mt, and 5.8mt were routed for export.

The data at the Marrakech meeting showed the 2004/05 season was characterised as a high-yielding season, although several natural disasters, such as frost in Spain and Morocco and the hurricanes in Florida adversely affected the total yields in these countries.

Of the total yield, 9.96mt were oranges, 5.09mt - easy peelers; 2.52mt - lemons; grapefruits - 0.47mt; others -- 0.11mt.

The CLAM Marrakech meeting decided to accept South Africa as an Associate Member of the organisation, and elected Octavio Ramon of Spain as secretary for the forthcoming year, as well as approving its 2005 budget of €230,000.

Tal Amit, general manager of the Citrus Sector at the Plants Production and Marketing Board of Israel, who was elected this year as chairman of CLAM's Agro-technical Committee, commented on several significant developments related to the 2004/05 season

He pointed to the continued growth in the cultivation and production of easy peeler varieties. The export of easy peeler varieties was 15 percent higher than during the preceding season and reached over 2mt, accounting for 38 per cent of the total export of the Mediterranean countries.

The export of oranges was badly hit due to the frost in Spain and Morocco, causing a 10.5 per cent decline of export compared with the 2003/04 season. This, despite the fact that damaged fruit was marketed and despite the dramatic rise in the export of oranges from Egypt.

On Lemons the exports remained unchanged, due to damages incurred to this sector in Spain, and the total export of grapefruits has declined due to the damages in Florida's grapefruit crops, and in view of a lower than anticipated yields of grapefruits in Turkey.

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