According to José Antonio García Fernández, the director of the Lemon and Grapefruit Inter-branch Association, the lemon campaign ended with a production of 1 million tons, i.e. 20% less than last year.

Among other factors, the decrease in production was due to a decrease in the harvest, which in turn led to fewer kilograms per hectare, he said. Within this 'complex scenario', producers were paid 'good' prices. The Fino lemon campaign, for example, began at the end of September and ended in April, and producers were paid around 30 to 35 cents per kilo of this variety.

The latest data for the September 2022 to April 2023 period from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, shows that the country's lemon exports decreased, although to a lesser extent, for the third consecutive year.

In this period the country exported 442,327 tons of lemons, i.e. 5.3% less than the 2021/22 campaign and 8.5% less than the average of the last five campaigns.

However, the value of lemon exports has increased by 5.5% compared to 2021/22 and by 6.1% compared to the average, standing at 551.3 million euro.

The Horeca channel
García Fernández regretted that, in a context in which fresh fruits and vegetables consumption in households has decreased, in general, the ministry has not offered data on "how consumption is evolving in the Horeca channel".

This is a very important channel for the sector. According to estimates, 50% to 60% of lemon consumption takes place through the Horeca channel.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com