“Satsumas are still making very strong money but clementines are likely to be short,” said Martin Dunnett of importer Capespan UK. He said that forecasts at the start of the South African season were for a 15 per cent decline in volumes. “But it now seems that the season is later and volumes shorter than that,” he added. The South Africans are also reporting some large sizing this year as well as less fruit on the trees.
Meanwhile, in Argentina the Satsuma season started very early and was already under way in the UK by the third week of February. The result is an early end and now there has been a lot of rainfall in the Entre Rios and northern growing areas. “Conditions for much of the growing season were very dry and then when it has come to the harvest period there has been a lot of rainfall,” said Ken Smith of importer Greencell.
He is hopeful that with Uruguay just starting its clementine season, the situation in the UK market will pick up in volume terms.
No comments yet