Mandarin prices plummet, lemon market reverses course

After the overseas mandarin season began well, price-wise, in Europe, volumes rose sharply in the la…

After the overseas mandarin season began well, price-wise, in Europe, volumes rose sharply in the last fortnight. "That's put considerable pressure on particularly easy peeler prices. Clementines/Clemenules and other varieties' prices were high but have almost halved in two weeks. We're anxiously awaiting the Nadorcotts and Orri mandarins, for which I still have good expectations," says Jan van der Voort of the Dutch company Anaco Greeve.

"The ports were congested and, partly due to bad weather in South Africa, not everything could be loaded at once, thus considerably disrupting logistics. Supply should keep up in the coming period, though. Sales are moderate, but July is never the best mandarin month because of school vacations. Demand will pick up from August/September."

Unlike mandarins, the orange supply remains limited for now. "The Egyptian supply is almost done, and those oranges' flavor and quality are declining. There are also shortages from Morocco," Jan explains. "That leads to good demand for South African oranges. South Africa has already loaded more Navels than last year, priced between €14 and €18, depending on variety and quality."

"The lemon market has rebounded after a difficult start. The Spanish volumes are starting to dry up, and Argentina is down at least 30%. Prices have risen to around €14-17. Grapefruit prices are at that same level. Though those numbers have dwindled over the years, that market, so far, remains fairly stable," Jan concludes.