Alicante farmers are having difficulties selling their lemons despite the quality and good condition they present in the current campaign, although with a smaller size than in other seasons. This is stated by the citrus sector of the young farmers association (Asaja), who attributes this situation “to the speculation generated by the two agents who have power in the negotiation: export and large distribution.”
According to the citrus growers themselves, they have barely been able to sell their lemons for two weeks, since there is not as much production as was initially announced and, furthermore, the prices they impose barely cover production costs, which right now are at 0. .32-0.35 euros/kilo.
For this reason, Asaja Alicante asks supermarkets not to make promotional offers or lower the price of lemons, since the farmer is not being paid a higher price for this product, and because they encourage unfair practices such as field sales. below the cost of production, a fact that is currently prohibited by the Food Chain Improvement Law.
Regarding capacity, the association lowered the expectations announced by the Ministry of Agriculture a month ago, since the harvesting of small lemons of just 55 millimeters (when it is normal for them to reach 65 millimeters for marketing) will translate into a reduction in number of tons. Furthermore, the weather damage has been very significant.
“According to Agroseguro data, 31.7% of the production that we have insured in the association has reported damage due to the hail that fell in the Vega Baja,” points out the president of Asaja Alicante, José Vicente Andreu. To this we must add that the extreme heat of this summer has produced a “gumming” effect that has caused many lemons to fall from the tree. In fact, it is estimated that this year there will be less than 900,000 tons of commercial lemon for fresh consumption.
Given this panorama, Asaja Alicante recommends that farmers do not agree to renegotiate citrus contracts with lower prices, since there are no objective reasons to support this fact. The organization also regrets the poor functioning of the citrus price information system of the Conselleria and the Citrus Market, since they advertise prices lower than those of the real market.
Reminds producers to reflect a percentage of waste in their invoices, because when it is not specified, many companies take up to 60% of the harvest for free, claiming that it is destined for the citrus industry when in reality they sell it as a second-hand product. fresh in the international market. This abuse, as Asaja-Alicante describes it, fails to comply with the regulations of EU Regulation 543/2011, and leaves the farmer in a situation of absolute vulnerability in terms of negotiation capacity and economic value.
