After a challenging start to the season, growers in Castellón are pinning their hopes on prices picking up in November
Sales of Clemenules clementines are gradually picking up after a difficult start to the season, which saw double-digit rejection rates for fruit.
As reported in Castellón Al Día, grower associations warned that profitability remains under severe pressure due to low prices – which they put down to the presence of produce imported from third countries on supermarket shelves.
Carles Peris, secretary general of Unió Llauradora i Ramadera, told the newspaper that “varieties like the Arrufatina are beginning to sell more smoothly, and we have now seen steady, staggered sales of Clemenules –Castellón’s flagship variety – for the past 10 to 12 days.”
Peris said that 25-30 per cent of the extra-early varieties arriving at packhouses had to be discarded due to the impact of pests and small fruit size.
The organisation is warning that prices at destination are lowers than in the last three seasons, with Spanish-grown fruit facing significant pressure due to competition from other countries.
“At the moment, all costs for farmers have skyrocketed. We are paying more for pest control and basic inputs like diesel and fertilisers – unlike in certain third countries, where, despite the detection of pests, produce continues to be sold in Europe,” Peris said, adding that South Africa is increasingly exerting pressure in the soft citrus category as well as in oranges.
Peris warned that growers would see their profitability severely compromised this season unless prices improved. He said they were pinning their hopes on the situation improving this month, when Spain is the only player in the market.
Castellón anticipates a citrus harvest of 554,078 tonnes in 2026/27 – 1.6 per cent down on last season. Clemenules volumes are projected to reach 258,104 tonnes, virtually unchanged on 2025/26.
