Three oligopolies in Brazil could control the citrus industry in Europe after the approval of the EU-Mercosur agreement
The Spanish citrus sector is monitoring the final approval of the EU-Mercosur agreement, which is still pending its final ratification for environmental reasons. Companies, cooperatives, and agricultural organizations are worried about this change in the rules of the game between the European bloc and the bloc formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Bolivia (the latter country is in the process of joining), as they fear the South American citrus will invade the European continent; especially the citrus from Brazil, the world s leading orange producer –a fruit that accounts for 90% of Brazil s citrus cultivation– and a very powerful country in the orange juice industry.
The FruitVegetablesEurope (Eucofel) association has launched the 'CuTE-4You: Cultivating the Taste of Europe for You' campaign to highlight the essential work carried out by the fruit and…
Spain s CGC calls for EU to stop citrus imports from Turkey
February 02 , 2021
Spain s Citrus Management Committee (CGC) has urged the European Commission to stop citrus imports from Turkey amid pesticide residue that has been detected on certain fruits.
Official inspectors have confirmed that the imports of lemons, oranges and mandarins either exceed the maximum permissible residue limit or have been treated with active substances that are prohibited by the EU.
Data from the RASFF system, the EU’s rapid alert network for food, reported that 54 rejections of Turkish citrus at the border were recorded in 2020, five times higher than in 2019.
Concern about the strike of citrus warehouses called in the Region of Valencia
The Valencian Association of Agricultural Producers (AVA-ASAJA) has expressed its concern about the announced strike of citrus warehouses from December 14 to 20, since this is happening at a crucial moment for the citrus campaign and could have a direct impact on the prices perceived by producers. These are in the weakest positions in the value chain and any increase in costs ends up having a negative impact on the final price they receive.
For this reason, the organization is asking for restraint and responsibility from the parties involved in these negotiations: the unions, on the one hand, and the Citrus Management Committee (an entity that brings private businesses together) and the Federation of Agrifood Cooperatives on the other.
December 11 , 2020
There is concern in the Valencian citrus sector over a strike announced by citrus warehouse workers next week which comes at a critical moment for the industry.
The Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA)expressed the fear that a strike could have a direct impact on farmers as the compensation they receive would be negatively affected by any cost increases due to their position in the value chain.
The development follows intense rainfall and hail in late November that had caused up to €22 million (US$27 million) in damages for citrus farms in various Valencian regions.
According to AVA-ASAJA, the price of citrus is set at the top of the value chain, that is to say by large fruit distributors, and that all cost increases are deducted from the final prices charged by farmers.