Volumes of Portuguese citrus fruit are similar to last year

Portuguese citrus fruits still have a bright future ahead of them. Besides the PGI leaf orange, already well established on the French market, the clementines continue to gain market share. According to Eric Tastayre, managing director of Apifood, this is the “origin of the future” because these products benefit from “a taste quality that never disappoints.” The company recently decided to expand its Agrumine range with lemons.

Among the main fruits exported from Portugal (in terms of volume), citrus fruit lead the way (40%), with France coming in second after Spain as the main destination. (INE)/ (APEFL)

A promising start to the campaign
Despite this year’s slightly lower production, the young orange and clementine orchards coming into production will compensate for this drop, eventually achieving “volumes almost identical to those of last year.” The very high summer temperatures were a source of concern for grading, but the rainfall in September preserved a certain normality. In terms of visual quality and taste, Portuguese citrus fruits are excellent again this year, according to Eric Tastayre. The PGI leaf orange season kicked off a week ago with the Newhall variety. The Lanelate and Valencia Late will follow until the end of the season. 6,000 tons of oranges and 400 tons of clementines should be marketed this year.

An expanding range
Apifood has been working with the Portuguese origin for 33 years, and the company continues to expand its Agrumine range, precisely because of the consistency of its quality. “Pioneer of PGI leaf oranges on the French market,” Apifood also began producing leaf clementines 3 years ago. “The orchards are still young, but production has been intensifying.” The lemons are the latest addition to the range. “We are in the process of developing this product so the programs we have put in place will be able to guarantee a regular supply in a few years.”