The Perpignan-based importer-exporter Louis Rosario is entering a “pivotal period” with the start of the second part of the citrus campaign. “For the small citrus fruit, we are ending the Nules season and starting with the Villa variety. The Tango and Nadorcott mandarins will arrive next week. For the oranges, the Naveline and Salutsiana varieties will soon be replaced by the Lane Late.”
“The climate and the political-economic context are not favorable for the consumption of vegetables or fruit, especially citrus fruit.”
“The current climate situation is not favorable for citrus fruit sales. Weather conditions also have an impact on production, influencing both volumes and quality. In Spain, the temperatures go from 8 degrees in the morning to 23 degrees in the afternoon, which causes problems we are not accustomed to in the winter time,” explains Xavier Rosario, referring to the presence of the Mediterranean fruit fly. “The disease it causes is not detectable at the time of picking or packing, so we have a lot of issues related to quality.” The problem affects both Spanish and Moroccan productions.
The political-economic situation also leads consumers to change their purchasing behavior. “The alarming context and the general increase in costs make fruit and vegetables expensive products, and we have observed that, for some time now, consumers seem to turn to frozen, canned or jarred fruit and vegetables.”
These factors “do not play in our favor” and the consequences will be felt during the second part of the campaign. “The citrus fruit will be approximately 20% more expensive than last year.” The smaller harvests and increasing production costs will force farmers to sell their products at higher prices.
Despite the uncertain context, Xavier Rosario hopes that “these increases will not impact the final purchase decision of the consumer too much in the beginning of the new year.”
For more information:
Xavier Rosario
Louis Rosario Sarl
Phone: +33 (0) 4 68 68 33 11
[email protected]
www.louisrosario.com