The Spanish Ministries of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and of Industry, Trade and Tourism have signed a collaboration agreement to promote Spanish oranges and mandarins in the Canadian market for the next three years. This campaign, funded with 400,000 Euro, will be essential to consolidate the market position of the Spanish citrus sector and strengthen its reputation against other international competitors.
The campaign aims to promote Spanish oranges and mandarins as a quality flagship product, targeting both consumers and importers and professionals in the sector.
Some of the actions planned include the participation in the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), the holding of public relations events, the collaboration in activities aimed at citrus promoters and distributors in Canada, the launch of promotional actions at the points of sale and the use of ads in conventional and digital media.
The final objective of the campaign, which is planned to last for three years, from 2020 to 2022, is to consolidate the reputation of these citrus fruits in order to boost their consumption, which has actually increased during these pandemic months, allowing for export records to be broken in March. According to data from the Citrus Management Committee (CGC), citrus exports in March increased by 15%, reaching almost half a million tons; an upward trend in international demand that will continue in the coming months .
The export of oranges and mandarins has continued to increase since the entry into force of the free trade agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA). In 2019, the export of oranges grew by 60% and that of mandarins rose by more than 30%. Canada is already the number one destination market for Spanish citrus fruits, ahead of Switzerland or Norway. Although before the CETA came into force, the applicable tariff was already zero, the new agreement has been good for the sector thanks to the much more favorable phytosanitary protocols.