Spanish citrus producers have stopped new planting of saplings which every year favored a gradual increase in production and fueled the incubator business sector.

With 1.93 million seedlings, the 2008/09 was the worst season in history in sales and the third consecutive season in which the marketing of citrus sunk until stabilizing to the amount of 2 million, a ridiculous figure compared with the average for 2000-2006, which stood at 4.81 million units. The data cited was taken from official statistics prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, which accounts for about 80% of the plants that are marketed in Spain.

From their analysis the conclusion that any kind of citrus (mandarins, oranges, lemons or grapefruits) saved over the last three years of rapid subsidence in the sale of seedlings this conclusion was reached.

Particularly significant was the data on sales trends of late mandarin, citrus on which the aforementioned plan was focused on. The marketing of hybrid mandarin seedlings (ie late clementines which are seasonally adjusted to go beyond December for collection from January to March / April) increased from 475,092 units in 1999/2000 to only 49,357 in The 2008/09.

Moreover, the end of the citrus industry as a source- and haven for investment in other sectors is also confirmed by another statistic: according to the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM), because for the first time since 1994, in 2008 prices of citrus hectare fell well above the average for other crops, up by 14.2%.

Source: Freshplaza.com