Growers in Valencia are already forecasting a decrease in the 2010-11 citrus crop as high winds have caused fruit-set problems.
The effect of winds at the end of May and the first few days in June in eastern Spain are already visible on easy-peeler and orange trees in the region.
Producers had been hopeful of a return to higher volumes in the new season given the biennial bearing effect, but agronomists from growers’ association Ava-Asaja have already been in the fields and are forecasting a crop as low, if not lower, than in 2009-10.
Ava-Asaja president Cristóbal Aguado said: “All those who were hoping for a bumper crop this coming season can rule that out right away. Development following fruit set shows that we can expect a significant decrease on the forecasts we were looking at initially.”
Westerly winds over several days brought with them a sharp drop in temperatures that disrupted plant development in the orchards. The result is a loss of many of the tiny fruits of the early varieties that were starting to form. Although it is still early to talk about volumes in any concrete terms, Ava-Asaja’s agronomists are certain that Marisol and Clemenvilla output will be seriously affected. They have also said effects to later oranges such as Navelina, Navel and even Lane Late cannot be ruled out either.
In 2009-10, Valencia’s citrus crop reached 3,250,000 tonnes.
