"We could easily sell twice as many oranges"

At a time when very few origins are available, the market for table oranges is currently under-supplied. This situation is set to continue until the start of the Spanish season in mid-October. "South African oranges are now virtually the only oranges on the market. It is a very difficult campaign due to a number of factors. There is a slight drop in volumes compared to last year, and a lot of delays caused by disrupted logistics and traffic at sea," explains Benoît Mallard-Guillon of Ets Meseguer.

Supply is all the more limited because of the difficult competition with Asian markets. "South Africa is currently the main origin on the market, and competition between importing countries is fierce. Producers prefer to send their goods to Asian markets, which are dynamic and easier to export to. Europe is not their priority. As a result, there are very few products available on the French market, where it is more difficult to regulate arrivals."

In terms of quality, on the other hand, the origin lives up to expectations. "South African growers are really very good at growing citrus fruit. The taste quality of their oranges is quite remarkable. If we could have obtained twice the volumes we have now, we would have sold them very easily."