The price at origin of Andalusian citrus has doubled this year compared to that of the previous season. In the first week of February, oranges reached an average of 0.27 € (USD 0.30)/kilo compared to 0.13 € (USD 0.14)/kilo in the same period last year. The case is similar with mandarins, which have stood at 0.47 € (USD 0.52)/kilo compared to 0.24 €(USD 0.27)/kilo last year.
The latest follow-up report of the Prices and Markets Observatory of Andalusia reveals that citrus prices at origin have been going extremely well so far this year.
Orange prices have remained stable for the first five weeks of 2016 and are about 100% higher than in the same period of the previous year. To this we must add the fact that the quality of the fruit is good, “which has resulted in a lower volume being discarded,” says the report.
The orange harvest, in general, is going slow, but steady, and producers choose to leave the fruit on the tree for it to gain weight and reach higher prices.
The downside of the campaign has been that the sustained strong winds in some areas and provinces have caused a lot of fruit to fall to the ground.
It is estimated that the variety Valencia-Late will start being harvested in March.
Regarding mandarins, their campaign shows a similar development. So far this year, prices at origin have doubled compared to those of the previous year and have registered a gradual increase, so in the first week of February their value has increased by 8% compared to late January.
Meanwhile, lemons have been the citrus fruit recording the highest increase in the price at origin, since their price has tripled during these first weeks of 2016 compared to the same period last year. Thus, in the first week of February, the price paid stood at 0.62 € (USD 0.69)/kilo, compared to 0.19 € (USD 0.21)/kilo last year. Furthermore, this represents a 17% increase compared to the last week of January.
Work in the warehouses is said to be going at a slow pace in the domestic markets, while in the EU competition has started with fruit coming from other producing countries, such as Turkey.
Source: Fresh Plaza