Faraway destinations are becoming increasingly important for Spanish citrus. This is the experience of Gert Bouman of the Spanish private producer Frutaria. "At the moment there is a good demand from outside of Europe for hand oranges and this is pushing up the price considerably. We are currently making prices in China that can't be made in European supermarkets."
"The quality of the citrus is good and this provides the opportunity to export to faraway destinations," continues Gert. "Not just China, but South America and South Africa are also demanding more citrus. It has been a considerably good season for this reason. If you want to serve the European market, you have to have a strong brand. Otherwise hand oranges can't be sold for that money, especially if there are Egyptian oranges on the market."
At the moment Frutaria is foreseeing its customers of the late Navel varieties. "I estimate that the last Valencia types will cost a lot of money. The season could be finished soon. Due to the mild, warm winter the citrus is a lot earlier. The expectation is that the South African citrus will arrive on an empty market," Gert concludes.
