Citrus production in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos has been severely curtailed by the lack of rainfall.
Harvesting of early season satsumas such as Okitsu, which normally begins in mid-March, is reportedly running around one month late, while sizes have also been severely affected.
“When it doesn’t receive enough water, trees do not get the nutrients that they need and these early varieties do not have the size profile that the market demands,” said Fernando Borgo, head of the Citrus Federation of Entre Ríos.
He estimates that between 60 and 70 per cent of the volume of these early varieties will be unsuitable for the fresh market as a result.
Borgo said that because the trees had suffered stress, when the rains had finally arrived, a lot of fruit had either split or fallen off the trees.
In a normal season, early fruit is harvested between mid-march and mid-May while later varieties such as Salustiana oranges between May and August and Valencia from August to December.
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