A big unexpected factor in this year's citrus season in Spain's Valencian Community has been the presence of Scirtothrips aurantii Faure, and the Valencian Regional Government has enforced urgent measures to control it. The first warnings about the appearance of symptoms compatible with the pest were given in May 2024, and after its presence was confirmed in pomegranates, table grapes, and citrus fruits, the pest appears to have spread in an explosive manner, with 325 municipalities in the three provinces of the Valencian Community affected. The presence of the pest has also recently been detected in avocados, according to the authorities.
"This year there has been a lot of fruit affected by thrips, so it has been quite difficult to obtain a quality product," says Jesús Pardines from Orifruit, "Here in Orihuela, thrips have spread quite a lot and I'd dare say that up to half of the production could be affected by the pest. In fact, the fruit from some plots has had to go directly to the processing industry, as it wasn't marketable. The most affected are probably the late oranges, especially the Navel variety."
"As far as the market is concerned, the situation is currently quite calm and sales are slow. Good-sized oranges with no thrips problems are fetching fairly good prices at source, around 35-40 cents per kilo since large sizes and fruit with no skin defects are scarce," he says.
"However, we'll have to wait and see what's going to happen in the market, because everything will depend on the oranges coming in from abroad, especially from Egypt. So far, they haven't been shipping as much as last year and we still don't know if they have decided to divert shipments to other destinations or if these have been delayed," says Pardines. In fact, the latest data on citrus imports from third countries confirmed that, in January, the volumes of Egyptian oranges arriving in the EU fell by more than 48% compared to last year.
In the case of lemons, January has also been a month of lower imports into the EU. Turkish lemon volumes have fallen by 35.4%, bringing total imports down by 22%, even though Egypt has increased its lemon shipments by 47%.
"Lemon prices are quite stable at source, with averages doubling those recorded at this time last year," says Jesús Pardines. "The latest batches of Fino lemons in good condition have been sold for around 35 cents per kilo, while a year ago, prices amounted to around 13 cents; however, sales continue to fall as the Fino lemon season progresses."
"We have between a month and a month and a half left to go, and by April 15, the Verna season will begin, although there are always companies starting earlier due to quality issues," he says. "For the time being, prospects for the Verna are good, because even weeks before its arrival, sales are being agreed on at prices that are 40-50% higher than those of Fino lemons," he says.
For more information:
Orifruit
Camino de Enmedio no. 4
El Arenal. 03311, Orihuela, Alicante. Spain
Tel.: +34 605 664 338
orifruit@orifruit.com
http://orifruit.com