“This year, at most 50% of the crop has been retained and is of good quality. The other 50% is not good. For example, there is a problem with the black citrus whitefly. It produces honeydew, which falls onto the leaves and fruit. Sooty mould then develops on these deposits, turning the leaves and fruit black. Sooty mould reduces the photosynthetic capacity of the leaves and, in cases of severe infestation, can cause leaf drop and weaken the tree, while the fruit becomes unmarketable. Although growers received good prices last year, they did not take care to protect their crops,” he adds.
Regarding the market situation, the Greek packer notes: “Greek lemons are being purchased from growers at €0.65/kg. Some buyers are paying €0.70/kg, but the prevailing price is €0.65/kg. Only small stocks of lemons from Argentina and South Africa remain on the market. These will be cleared within 15 days. However, Turkish lemons have also entered the market and are being delivered at lower prices. Turkish lemons are being delivered at €0.78–0.85/kg in Thessaloniki and €0.85–0.90/kg in Athens. In Bulgaria, the delivery price should be around €0.80/kg. Due to attacks on ships in the Black Sea, Turkish lemon exports to Russia have been cancelled. Turkish exporters have all turned towards Europe, including our market. However, volumes are not yet large enough to create intense competition. They are only just beginning to arrive.”
“As for fruit sizes, harvesting should be limited to size 5 at most, or size 6. When smaller lemons are picked at this stage, growers lose the opportunity to harvest them later when they have grown to a larger size. Supply and demand are currently in balance. However, when supermarkets start pushing prices lower and lower, and when large volumes of lemons become available from November 5 until the end of the month, there will need to be a strong export focus to move the fruit. Otherwise, prices will fall,” Oikonomopoulos concludes.
For more information:
Giorgos Oikonomopoulos
Achaia Fruits
Tel: +30 269 106 1352
https://achaiafruits.gr/
