On Tuesday, the Secretary General of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food, Manuel Gómez, presided over the citrus production forecast for the 2024-2025 season and reported that Andalusia expects to produce more than 2.26 million tons of citrus.
"Production will be better than last season thanks to the increase in rainfall in spring and irrigation allocations, which have significantly improved the vegetative state of the plantations," he said.
"According to this forecast, Andalusia will increase its production by 19.2% over the 2023-2024 season, accounting for 38.8% of the Spanish production (5.84 million tons)."
The Junta de Andalusia forecasts Almeria will produce 225,258 tons; Cadiz, 53,164 tons; Cordoba, 347,058 tons; Granada, 4,664 tons; Huelva, 570,149 tons; Malaga, 94,118 tons; and Seville, 969,930 tons.
The estimate also includes data on surface area. There will be 61,088 hectares of sweet oranges, 20,461 hectares of mandarins, 7,044 hectares of lemons, and 1,587 hectares of other citrus, including grapefruit, for a total area of around 90,180 hectares.
Sweet oranges will account for 69.4% of the production (1,570,467 tons) and their production will increase by 22.4% compared to 2023-2024. They are followed by mandarins, which account for 25% (564,985 tons), i.e. +22.4% over the previous season; and lemons, with 88,022 tons, a 22.8% drop in production, and accounting for 3.9% of the total production.
The estimate also includes forecasts Andalusia will produce 29,713 tons of grapefruit and 4,663 tons of the remaining citrus fruits.
According to provisional data, Andalusia's orange, mandarin, and lemon productions will account for 52.8%, 30.9%, and 9.4% of the national total for these fruits, respectively.
During the event, it was revealed that Huelva's mandarin production season had already started and that the Andalusian region was the first to do so at the national level.
The Andalusian Government bases its citrus forecast on the visits and analysis of more than 1,400 plots covering an area of 4,072 hectares. Technicians also take into consideration the declarations of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to establish the extension that corresponds to each of the varieties.
Various organizations and entities collaborate with the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development to gather data for the forecast. These entities include the Regional Agricultural Offices (OCA), the Territorial Delegations, and other entities representing the sector, including the Fruit and Vegetable Producers' Organizations (OPFH).
For more information:
Junta de Andalucía
www.juntadeandalucia.es