Everything seems to have turned to the citrus sector in the province for the campaign, which is expected to be the best campaign of the last ten years. Market shortage caused by low production and pest problems registered in South Africa and Argentina, It will encourage an increase in prices, which will lead Alicante producers to create a business volume that will predictably exceed 400 million euros.Q. The only uncertainty factor hanging over farmers right now is limited water resources which, combined with strong heat, can affect fruit size.
The citrus look from Alicante is more than encouraging for the campaign that is about to begin. This was expressed by José Vicente Andreu, president of Asaja-Alicante, a producer in the Torremendo region. And it all stems from the problems experienced by the main competitors, mainly South Africa and Argentina.. As he explained, “both countries have pests that have low harvests and also make marketing impossible. So we see that the European markets are almost out of supply and as a result there is a high demand for both lemons, oranges and tangerines.”
But it’s not just foreign competitors who are having a hard time. Andreu underlines that Andalusia will also have a very low production due to drought.Added to this are the problems in the Valencia region, to which the decline to be recorded is associated, he points out the abandonment of activity as a result of small plots and lack of intergenerational relief.
AND This bad harvest will contradict what is expected for the province of Alicante, which will be around 900,000 tons as a whole.. The set will consist of 450,000 lemons, 300,000 oranges and 150,000 tangerines.
All this, as a result, creates the ideal conditions for a price increase to take place, Alicante manufacturers can benefit from. “We still don’t have a price quote, but prices can be expected to match. Ideally, they will reach a level that will be profitable for farmers but not prohibitively expensive for consumers.”
Following these criteria, It is estimated that both lemons and oranges can cost between 40 and 45 cents per kilo., tangerines will be at higher levels, their weight will be between 55 and 60 cents. All this will result in a turnover of more than 400 million Euros. The important thing – stresses Asaja’s chairman – is that we will enter some markets where there is insufficient supply, and distribution is already interested in buying. So the forecast is good and we could end up with at least one of the best campaigns of the last decade.
On the other hand, the lemon harvest campaign is expected to start around September 20 due to the shortage in the markets. almost a month earlier than usual. According to José Vicente Andreu, “as soon as the lemon produces juice, it can already be picked, even if it has not yet reached its full size. But the same is not true for oranges and tangerines, which must be at their optimum ripeness point.” In the latter case, harvest is expected to begin around October 25.
dimensions
The only concern of Alicante farmers is the caliber within reach of citrus fruits. recorded heat waves are compounded by the scarcity of water resources, due to the limited flow of the river crossing Vega Baja, where both the Tajo-Segura transfer and production areas are concentrated. «Heat divisions mean more water consumption, so if watered for two hours under normal conditions, thermometers should be done three times through the clouds. We’ll see what happens from now until we start harvesting,” emphasizes Andreu.
In similar terms, Luis Gómez, a producer with fields in the La Murada region, agrees with José Vicente Andreu that the future is encouraging. In his own words, “there’s very little fruit in the markets, so what makes sense is that there should be an increase in prices.”
As José Vicente Andreu put it, the doubt is whether all farmers can benefit from them. «It gets very hot and this is shown in calibers that aren’t big enough.. In addition, this situation coincides with the fact that there is very little water and the trees dedicate themselves to sweating in order to survive instead of feeding the fruits on their branches when they are watered. So right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty about that.”
Of course, Gómez believes that those who reach the right size will get very good results in this campaign. “I insist that everything shows that prices will behave very well, so there is a lot of hope this season that we are about to start.”
It also acknowledges that until now they had no restrictions for irrigationbut everything will depend on what may happen in the coming weeks, both in terms of the development of temperatures and precipitation.
During the month of July, Minister of Agriculture José Luis Aguirre sent a letter to Minister Luis Planas to convey his concerns about the detection of diseases and pests in plant products imported from third countries and the concerns of the entire citrus sector. Aguirre’s letter calls for a review of phytosanitary import requirements, as well as trade agreements between the EU and countries and economic-commercial areas such as Brazil, Brazil or South Africa within Mercasur, to stop and prevent the spread of pests.
Therefore, it warns of the first cases of moth plague in South African grapefruits and tangerines, citrus fruits that do not require cold treatment but “must be applied according to results.” aguirre highlights.