The mandarin season is well underway in Spain. "The main variety shipped at the moment is the Ortanique, and there are still some small quantities of Nadorcott and Tango, although the prices of these are high precisely because of the smaller supply," says Florin Nicolae Belu, export manager of the company Iberia Fruit Fresh, from Murcia, Spain. "In fact, in general, the greater availability and much better prices are resulting in the Ortanique attracting a lot more attention at the moment."
The second part of the mandarin campaign is now ahead after the first few months of the season burdened by problems caused by the constant rains in the fall of 2024. "We must remember that the Clemules campaign finished earlier than expected because, like other varieties, it was affected by quite a few quality problems at the end of last year caused by the excess moisture. I would say that anyone who has grown clementines or mandarins has had the same problem: the fruit left the warehouse in good condition, but the consequences of the moisture became apparent on arrival to its destination," says Florin.
"These quality issues have had a greater impact on products packed in nets because entire batches have had to be discarded after some fruits were found to be affected. In view of the situation, this year we have chosen to work with the fruit in bulk because such problems are easier to solve with re-sorting."
© Graham Prentice | Dreamstime
"Perhaps this better sorting process implemented with mandarins, which everyone knew was going to be necessary, has led to less fruit being affected by thrips, another of this year's main problems. From the beginning of the season, special attention has been paid to shipping fruit without defects or skin problems to avoid any problems at the destination," says Florin.
"This situation has resulted in imports being quite strong, especially now that the season is gradually coming to an end," he says. "Morocco is increasingly gaining ground in Europe with its mandarins from the second part of the season, and the truth is that things are going quite well, with great quality fruit."
"Imports are necessary both in the off-season and at times of the campaign when there isn't enough supply to meet the demand from our clients. However, we see that European retailers want to offer the lowest possible prices, especially given the lower purchasing power of families across the board. This is why they are turning to other sources, to try satisfying and attracting the public with very attractive prices," says Florin.
"In this context, we are seeing a growth of mandarin imports from non-EU countries into Europe; nevertheless, the Spanish Ortanique meets all the requirements to continue to attract attention: it has the high quality of all Spanish citrus, and this week the prices of top quality packaged fruit stood between 80 and 90 cents; very little more than the price set by Greece, and actually below that of the Turkish Murcott," says Florin.
For more information:
Iberia Fruit Fresh
Florin Nicolae Belu
Export Manager
Tel.: (+34) 670 907 515
florin@iberiafruitfresh.com
https://iberiafruitfresh.com/