The province of Valencia, Spain, was severely impacted by the climatic phenomenon known as DANA, which led to losses exceeding 1 billion euros in the Valencian agricultural sector, particularly affecting citrus. The damage included severe destruction of production, plantations, agricultural infrastructure, and machinery.

According to estimates by AVA-ASAJA, the losses in agricultural crops still pending harvest amount to 278 million euros, with citrus being the most affected (192 million), followed by persimmons (54 million), vegetables (24.8 million), and avocados (7.2 million). Many of these crops were in the middle of their harvest season, particularly early varieties of mandarins and persimmons.

Due to the damage to Spain's citrus industry, concerns have risen over the supply to the European market, given Valencia’s significance in Spanish citrus production. However, the president of the Citrus Management Committee (CGC), Inmaculada Sanfeliu, reassured that all packing warehouses in the province of Valencia are operating at full capacity. “The supply of mandarins and oranges to the Community market is guaranteed in sufficient volumes for all major European distributors,” she stated.

South American Citrus Industry Perspectives

In this context, FreshFruitPortal.com spoke with the general manager of Procitrus, Sergio Del Castillo from Peru, to gather insights from South American citrus-producing countries.

Del Castillo noted that the situation in Spain will likely affect citrus supply in the northern hemisphere. “Peru produces from March to September, while Spain produces from September to March, so Peru cannot supply Spain during its production window. Mediterranean basin countries, such as Morocco, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt, are better positioned to do so,” he explained.

He added that the reduced citrus supply in the northern hemisphere is expected to keep prices high during Spain’s season, “which also benefits our next season, as we would start with elevated prices. In any case, we’ll have to see what happens between now and March of next year."

On a similar note, the president of the Argentine Citrus Federation (Federcitrus), José Carbonell, pointed out that Spain has been affected from Catalonia to Malaga, with varying degrees of severity.

He explained, “We are likely to see the greatest impact on sweet citrus, as this area suffered the most damage—not only from the flow of water but also from the environmental damage caused by this climatic disaster."

Carbonell expects this trend to affect fruit production in Spain for years to come and during this harvest in particular.

He also addressed the inspection procedures at entry ports for South American fruit. “There is ongoing discussion about the excessive controls at ports, especially in Spain and Portugal, due to inspection delays that discourage exporters from shipping directly to these points. Additionally, Europe’s stringent sanitary requirements have made the EU an unreliable destination for some.”

Carbonell suggested that “if there is a drastic decrease in Spanish supply, the Argentine citrus industry might adopt a different approach."