The Spanish citrus campaign has recovered slowly in spite of the fact that there was a lot of “uncertainty and uneasiness” in the first part of the season.
Juan Bautista Juan Gimeno of Valencia’s citrus regulatory council told freshinfo that the Spanish offer has been characterised by oversupply and small sizes, which meant that early-season prices were lower than at the same time last year.
He said: “The main factors that have affected production are the conditions and low prices in the markets… The immediate consequences are to farmers, because the business is not profitable since production costs surpass returns.
“In the first part of the campaign, prices did not cover the expenses of the farmer and that has serious consequences for all.”
But Juan Gimeno maintains that there have been no supply issues and that the “high level of eating quality” of Valencian fruit has stood the sector in good stead.
This meant that in the second part of the campaign, the sector enjoyed an improvement in prices and a better market balance.
He said: “Our objective continues being the promotion of Valencian citrus and to continue improving commercialisation with programmes of innovation, since we believe that an efficient form of obtaining results is through campaigns of communication and marketing.
“The economic crisis is affecting all sectors equally.
“But it cannot be permitted that production costs be higher than the final price that is found in the market and the citrus sector in Valencia is working towards reducing production costs, improving supply and the offer and, especially, increasing promotional activities.”
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