The Save our Satsuma campaign, launched earlier this year by Tesco, has received some seasonal impetus.
Tesco launched its drive to promote the satsuma, which relies very heavily on the UK market for its survival, in April, but Christmas provided a new focus for the national media.
The European preference for “less seedy” clementines is said to be turning the satsuma, of which the UK consumes 60 per cent of global exports, into an endangered species.
In Spain, satsuma orchards have declined a third in the last 10 years - growers bought 70,000 new satsuma trees in 2001 compared to 350,000 in 1991.
Turkey, Argentina, Uruguay and South Africa, are all said to be following suit.
Jonathan Hedge, commercial director of Muñoz Mehadrin UK, told bbc online there is still a "tremendous" appetite for satsumas in the UK.
Tesco sells between 25 million and 30m nets of satsumas a year. "We are taking action now to make sure that there aren't shortages in the future," said a spokesman. "If you look at the number of trees being planted then obviously that's a very worrying decline.
"We are explaining to producers that there is a big market for satsumas in this country, so that they will have the confidence to continue."
Asda, said its supply policy means it doesn’t “have to compete with the whims of the market. We have had absolutely no problem getting our supply whatsoever," said a spoeswoman.
Sainsbury's admitted the clementine has overtaken the satsuma this year, having sold about 1m multi-pack bags of clementines, compared with 750,000 satsumas.
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