Over the last few weeks, rainfall has marked the start of the orange campaign in Seville, where more than 52% of Andalusia's oranges are expected to be harvested in the 2024/25 season.
The harvest can always be affected by rains, so we have been keeping a close eye on the weather and scheduling the picking in advance to make sure to have enough production to supply our clients," says Álvaro Lara, from Agricultura Extraterrestre S.L. "Fortunately, the heaviest rainfall here was recorded in late October, with around 120 liters per square meter that caused streams to overflow, but in the last week we haven't been as affected. However, in Malaga, where we have partner growers, some citrus productions, especially of lemons, have been badly affected."
"At Agricultura Extraterrestre we specialize in organic citrus and so far the season has started off really well in terms of prices, which remain stable. However, since there's a predominance of medium sizes this season, large calibers are fetching very good prices, both at source and at destination. At the moment, between 40 and 45 cents per kilo are being paid for the organic production, which is a fairly good price range."
"As far as mandarins are concerned, we started at the beginning of October with the earliest Satsumas, and the demand has been quite good, with prices and purchases in line with those of other years. About two weeks ago, we started also with the Clemenules, with which we will continue to work until mid-December," says Álvaro.
"In this first part of the season, the Clemenules and the Navelina are our flagship varieties. Only the fruit with the right flavor, sugar levels and ripeness expected by our European clients is packed under our La Extra-Terrestre brand. The fruit, grown on the banks of the Guadalquivir river, is shipped mainly to Germany and France."
"Organic prices are at the same level as in previous years: between 50 and 65 cents per kilo at source, depending on the variety and size, and around 1.20 euros per kilo in Perpignan. This year there isn't a very high demand, but in terms of sales, the market is fairly stable. For the time being, volumes are comparable to last year's and we hope that sales will continue without changes and that we won't see a repeat of what happened last season, when there was a drop in sales at the end of the year from which it was difficult to recover."
"Right now, nobody knows what prices the industry is going to offer"
This year, the orange and mandarin market has had a good start in Spain and the entire sector is expecting the industry to follow this same trend, as it is common knowledge that there are lower volumes available for processing this year. "In a few places, some are already talking about prices, but the truth is that the orange processing season has yet to start for most industries, so right now there's uncertainty about the price levels that are going to be offered. We'll have to wait until December to have information about prices based on actual contracts. In any case, we hope that when the time comes, the prices offered will be acceptable."
"Soon we hope to be able to supply organic sweet potato all year round"
Sweet potatoes are another of the products grown by Agricultura Extraterrestre on its farms in the municipality of Brenes, in Seville, where the harvest is already underway. "We grow organic sweet potatoes of the orange-fleshed Beauregard variety, and we are harvesting a product with a very thin skin and a great flavor that is very popular in the export markets where we operate."
"Every year, we start harvesting in September/October and are able to continue supplying until July/August, but soon we hope to be able to offer the product all year round."
For more information:
Agricultura Extraterrestre S.L.
Carretera A-8005 km 14.7
41310 Brenes, Seville, Spain
Tel.: +34 671 77 33 42
[email protected]
https://laextraterrestre.com