Spanish citrus production falls 12.3%

Spanish citrus production for 2017-18 is forecast to reach 6.2 million tons, a fall of 12.3% from last year’s levels. Production is expected to drop for all citrus products: oranges (-11.1%), mandarins (-18%), lemons (-2.8%), and grapefruit (-24%). To blame for the slump is a combination of last winter’s heavy rainfall and the recent heat waves and drought. The grapefruit campaign is expected to end earlier than usual and supply problems are on the horizon in April-May 2018. Product quality was also affected by the weather conditions, with smaller sizes and early varieties with less juice.

The 2017-18 campaign started with relatively strong prices – around 20% higher than in 2016-17. However, it is reported that in the Valencia area, 150,000 hectares of oranges and mandarins were abandoned because of their low profitability.